-By Frank Scheck
For movie details, please click here.
A lot of comedic talent founders in this new Harold Ramis comedy
that doesn't exactly recall his glory days of
Caddyshack and
Groundhog Day. Resembling a cross between the mostly
forgotten spoof
Caveman and
Mel Brooks' History of the
World: Part 1,
Year One is likely to achieve grosses
closer to
Land of the Lost than
The Hangover, demonstrating that audiences might prefer
their raucous humor set in the here and now.
Jack Black and Michael Cera star in this Paleolithic buddy movie as
Zed and Oh, two cavemen whose hunting-and-gathering skills leave
much to be desired. Banished from their village after yet another
mishap, they wander the desert, running across various biblical
figures and winding up, appropriately enough, in Sodom.
Sounds funny, right? The idea of the highly contemporary Black and
Cera interacting with such ancient characters as Cain and Abel as
well as Abraham and Isaac even while trying to score with hot babes
would seem to hold much promise, which is no doubt why Judd Apatow
signed on as one of the producers.
But the script—co-written by Ramis and the team of Gene Stupnitsky
and Lee Eisenberg (NBC's "The Office")—is strictly
bargain-basement, offering a plethora of poop, sex and fart jokes
and vulgarity without a smidgen of wit.
Black does his Jack Black thing well enough, but the results are by
now unfortunately predictable. Cera fares far better, garnering
genuine laughs with his deadpan pained reactions to the endless
indignities suffered by his character.
Oliver Platt camps it up unmercifully as a hairy high priest fond
of hot oil massages; David Cross is all hysterical aggressive id as
the murderous Cain (Paul Rudd has an uncredited cameo as the
unfortunate Abel); Christopher Mintz-Plasse doesn't make much of an
impression as Isaac; and Hank Azaria steals the picture (as usual)
as a circumcision-pushing Abraham.
June Diane Raphael and Juno Temple are appealing romantic interests
for Black and Cera's characters, and Olivia Wilde ("House"),
sporting a high-toned British accent, is a suitably gorgeous
princess. Also showing up for brief appearances are Vinnie Jones,
Horatio Sanz and Bill Hader, among others.
As has become the norm, the closing credits are accompanied by
outtakes far funnier than what made it into the finished picture.
Well, at least the actors had fun.
—
Nielsen Business Media
Film Review: Year One
Just because the picture's setting is ancient doesn't mean the humor has to be too.
June 17, 2009
-By Frank Scheck
For movie details, please click here.
A lot of comedic talent founders in this new Harold Ramis comedy that doesn't exactly recall his glory days of
Caddyshack and
Groundhog Day. Resembling a cross between the mostly forgotten spoof
Caveman and
Mel Brooks' History of the World: Part 1,
Year One is likely to achieve grosses closer to
Land of the Lost than
The Hangover, demonstrating that audiences might prefer their raucous humor set in the here and now.
Jack Black and Michael Cera star in this Paleolithic buddy movie as Zed and Oh, two cavemen whose hunting-and-gathering skills leave much to be desired. Banished from their village after yet another mishap, they wander the desert, running across various biblical figures and winding up, appropriately enough, in Sodom.
Sounds funny, right? The idea of the highly contemporary Black and Cera interacting with such ancient characters as Cain and Abel as well as Abraham and Isaac even while trying to score with hot babes would seem to hold much promise, which is no doubt why Judd Apatow signed on as one of the producers.
But the script—co-written by Ramis and the team of Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (NBC's "The Office")—is strictly bargain-basement, offering a plethora of poop, sex and fart jokes and vulgarity without a smidgen of wit.
Black does his Jack Black thing well enough, but the results are by now unfortunately predictable. Cera fares far better, garnering genuine laughs with his deadpan pained reactions to the endless indignities suffered by his character.
Oliver Platt camps it up unmercifully as a hairy high priest fond of hot oil massages; David Cross is all hysterical aggressive id as the murderous Cain (Paul Rudd has an uncredited cameo as the unfortunate Abel); Christopher Mintz-Plasse doesn't make much of an impression as Isaac; and Hank Azaria steals the picture (as usual) as a circumcision-pushing Abraham.
June Diane Raphael and Juno Temple are appealing romantic interests for Black and Cera's characters, and Olivia Wilde ("House"), sporting a high-toned British accent, is a suitably gorgeous princess. Also showing up for brief appearances are Vinnie Jones, Horatio Sanz and Bill Hader, among others.
As has become the norm, the closing credits are accompanied by outtakes far funnier than what made it into the finished picture. Well, at least the actors had fun.
—
Nielsen Business Media
