Year One

Saw this at a matinée yesterday, with very lowered expectations. Don't quite get all the hate on here for it. If you like Jack Black and Michael Cera, they perform as expected here, loudmouthed braggart and wimpy foil, respectively. Amazing cast...David Cross as Cain and Paul Rudd as Abel? Inspired. Oliver Platt as a hairy-chested high priest? The "McLovin" Kid? There's even a member of Upright Citizens Brigade who puts in a very brief cameo. The story is dumb, and there's a few jokes that fall flat...but the sets are impressive and everyone involved seems to be having fun. A good rental, at least. But you people that are rating it a 1? Save your venom for movies that deserve that, like "Meet The Spartans" (unwatchable) or the latest Michael Bay atrocity.

As a fan of most of Jack Black's work so far (at least the non Tenacious D stuff that is in comedy) and a fan of Michael Cera's great straight man work on Arrested Development and Superbad, I was very disappointed in this film. It is a great premise for a movie but it fails to deliver many laughs, it is basically one of those "all the funny parts are in the trailer" movies and was I think a really wasted opportunity for what could have been a very funny film. Jack Black is okay doing his usual act and Michael Cera is very good in his typical straight man role but the laughs don't exactly come flowing through. There are a couple of very good cameo appearances in the movie, I don't want to spoil the surprise, and they help to make up for the overall poor quality of the rest of the film. Worth seeing probably but definitely not at the movies for $12.

From the reviews, this movie seemed like it would be horribly bad, and full of annoying cringe worthy moments, but this is not true at all. Actually, despite a lazy script full of nonstop crude and sex jokes, and moments that could be really awful, this movie is above the very low bar. Jack Black and Michael Cera take this bad material and make something mediocre out of it, which still isn't saying much.

Zed (Jack Black) is a gatherer who tries to fit in with the hunter clan, but he's just too silly for their tastes. Oh (Michael Cera) is also a gatherer and is a somewhat unpopular with the ladies. After an accident involving fire, this mismatched pair has to leave and they do through various pieces of biblical history, including meeting Cain (David Cross) and Abel (Paul Rudd), and meeting Isaac (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Abraham (Hank Azaria), who apparently had a thing for cutting foreskin. The movie is a hodge podge of scenes thrown together with very little plot, but by the end Zed and Oh have to save the lives of two girls from their village.

Jack Black and Michael Cera are pretty good here. Jack Black does his typical over the top stoner performance and Michael Cera gives the emotional boy performance. Even David Cross and Oliver Platt manage to squeeze some laughs out of their performances. But nobody really has a lot of material to work with, though at the same time the material isn't the worst out there. It's bad, and oftentimes relies on some outwardly sexual material. In fact, this is the least subtle PG-13 rated film I've seen where sexual or crude jokes are involved. This includes scenes of eating poop and throwing testicles. If something sexual happens, it's not only just implied, but it's flaunted.

One big problem is the lack of plot in the movie. It grows boring going from setpiece to setpiece, never establishing a real plot until the end, and despite being only around 100 minutes, it still feels way too long. The climax is ridiculous and quite boring, and this movie is too filled with scenes that aren't particularly horrible, but they aren't particularly funny, and all too often this movie is just a laugh free staring at the screen. It managed to attain quite consistent mediocrity, with some chuckles every once in a while. It wasn't horrible, it just wasn't good either, by any means.

My rating: ** out of ****. 105 mins. PG-13 for crude sexual humor, drug use, and language.

OK first let's take a quick paragraph to analyze the history of successful comedy duos. There's Abbot & Costello: a simple-minded clown (Costello) and his more-intelligent, straitlaced keeper (Abbott). Then there's Martin & Lewis: another simple-minded clown (Lewis) and his more intelligent, suave keeper (Martin). Laurel & Hardy: same formula. Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley, Ren & Stimpy, the list goes on. This successful pattern, with minor variations, repeats itself through the years. The clown is always kept in line by his/her more intelligent & responsible keeper.

Here we have a switcheroo. With Black & Cera, the idiot (Jack Black) is in charge, while the smart one (Cera) is taking orders. The dynamic, especially with the extreme opposite personalities of Black & Cera (outgoing vs. introverted), is a riot. Both are equally hilarious, and when they play off each other, it can be downright asphyxiating. I can't believe that this is the only film that features the two of them together like this, but that alone makes "Year One" worth running out to see.

Apparently critics haven't been kind to this movie. I've read the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and almost all of the negatives harp on how this doesn't stand up to writer/director Harold Ramis's past hits like Caddyshack, Vacation, Ghostbusters, etc. So what? Beethoven's 9th symphony may not have been as powerful as his 5th but we still like it.

"Year One" delivers some great laughs, period. Beginning in what seems to be caveman times but quickly shifting into Old Testament Biblical times, it takes us on a wild romp through episodes of Cain & Abel, Abraham & Isaac, Sodom & Gomorrah, and a particularly boy-hungry high priest played by Oliver Platt (you will NEVER recognize him). Irreverent, yes. Funny, yes. Offensive, I doubt it. Not any more than "History of the World Part 1" or "Monty Python's Holy Grail". Definitely less biting than "Life of Brian". But it does pack some bite.

The story isn't particularly new, but it serves its purpose to serve as a vehicle for some witty gags. And again I must harp on the Black-Cera delivery that makes it work. Jack Black plays an inept, loud-mouthed hunter who is constantly coming up with stupid ideas that get them in big trouble. Cera plays a meek gatherer who follows along with everything, quietly trying to explain the idiocy of it all while being ignored. The comedy flows so naturally you'd think it was all improvised like in a Christopher Guest film. But I read in an interview that there wasn't much improv at all. Just a carefully planned script and excellent delivery.

The comedy is mostly family-friendly, but there are some adult innuendos and suggestive gags that may cross the line on occasion. If you & your family feel comfortable laughing about circumcisions, then hey no problem.

Although similar in theme, I would never compare "Year One" to "History of the World" or "Holy Grail". Instead, the comedy reminds me more of "The Rocker" (with Rainn Wilson playing a washed-up 80s metal drummer trying to survive in a band today) or maybe even "Men in Black", odd as that may seem.

There are rumors that Black & Cera may have parts in Ramis's upcoming "Ghostbusters III", and if so I'll definitely run out and see it. Until then, "Year One" remains your only chance to experience this one-of-a-kind matchup. Don't miss out.

When Year One came out, I missed it in the theater. It didn't seem to last long. People didn't seem to receive it all that well either. Considering I'm not fond of either of the actors in the two main roles, I really wanted to see this film. When I finally got around to watching it, I now understand why it struck a chord with me.

Without ever claiming to be a tribute to Mel Brooks, that's exactly what it ended up as. If you liked History of the World Part One you will like Year One as our two cave men progress up through the early years of human civilization and culture, encountering various biblical figures and getting themselves in and out of various tight spots.

It was really a fun little film that I think most all fans of Mel Brooks would appreciate. It is as much a nod to JudeoChristian history as it also pans it. It is a nod to Mel Brooks without being a complete copy cat of Mr. Brooks. It is meant to be a romp and not a serious film.

People who brushed it off should give it a second chance and not try to over analyze or read to deep into it and just have a little fun. I gave it an 8, which is saying a lot from a person who doesn't like either lead.