'Year One' review

Michael Cera and Jack Black (Credit: Suzanne Hanover/Sony)

Photos:

related items

Fast-Paised review: 'Year One'

Metromix reviews Jack Black and Michael Cera in Harold...

Film fashion watch: Best and worst pelts

The pros and cons of showing some skin

After being banished from their village, Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera)—early humans with poor hunter-gatherer skills but a surprisingly developed grasp of irony—wander around in hopes of reuniting with their unrequited loves. Their escapades involve run-ins with Cain and Abel (David Cross, Paul Rudd), Abraham and Isaac (Hank Azaria, Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and a High Priest (Oliver Platt) who just wants a little oil rubbed on his extremely hairy chest. Hey, who doesn't?

The buzz: The summer of 2009 is still waiting for a great comedy ("Up" is funny, but humor isn't its biggest achievement). At the very least, with co-writer/director Harold Ramis ("Analyze This") and a couple "Office" writers at the helm "Year One" shouldn't wheeze like "Land of the Lost." Probably.

The verdict: Forget straddling the fence between laughs and groans, "Year One" is impaled by the fence—ping-ponging between clever, dialogue-driven bits and awful physical comedy. (Black eats feces. Enough said.) Points for the playful attitude towards history—Zed salutes Oh's ingenious idea to drink water out of a gourd, not his hands—are then docked by the childish fringe characters. (Why does Azaria voice Abraham like a pirate?)  Black once again does nothing to tweak his manic tendencies, and Cera does his same ol' thing, but he's not yesterday's news yet. Hilarious movies have liftoff; "Year One" feels like a holding pattern.

Did you know? As a snake wraps itself around Oh's neck, Zed suggests Oh eat the snake before the snake eats him. Brilliant!

Video: Watch Matt's review of "Year One"

Add a comment