Year One - the inthenews.co.uk first review
Year One - the inthenews.co.uk first review
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Monday, 22, Jun 2009 05:09
Lewis Bazley sees comedy titans conspire to create a lazy effort that's less Life of Brian, more Meet the Spartans.
Directed by Harold Ramis, out June 26th in cinemas, starring Jack Black, Michael Cera, Hank Azaria, David Cross, running time 97 mins
In a nutshell...
A huge disappointment with jokes as ancient as the setting.
What's it all about?
Expelled from their Garden of Eden paradise, hunter Zed (Black) and gatherer Oh (Cera) they set off on a road trip of self-discovery through the ancient world, bumping into the feuding brothers Cain (Cross) and Abel (Paul Rudd) before ending up enslaved in the den of iniquity of Sodom.
Who's in it?
Golden Globe nominee Jack Black dons his loincloth to play Zed with rising comic star Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Juno, Superbad) in a dodgy wig as Oh. With a comedic cast to rival Night at the Museum 2, co-stars include Hank Azaria, David Cross, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Oliver Platt, Paul Rudd and director Harold Ramis himself.
As an example.
"I'm a virgin by choice." - Oh
"Not your choice." - Zed
"We're the Hebrews. righteous people; not very good at sports." - Abraham
"What transpires within the confines of the walls of Sodom. stays within the confines of the walls of Sodom." - Cain
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
A shower of Razzies would be harsh, but to be brutally honest, it's a far more likely outcome than an honour from the Academy.
What the others say
"An amiable stroll through biblical times featuring Jack Black and Michael Cera as exiled Neanderthals, Year One lacks seismic guffaws but elicits many mild smiles." - Ronnie Scheib, Variety
"Year One is a dreary experience, and all the ending accomplishes is to bring it to a close. Even in the credit cookies, you don't sense the actors having much fun." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
So is it any good?
When producer Judd Apatow and leading man Michael Cera talk of Harold Ramis' profound effect on modern comedy, there's no suggestion that their compliments are promotional guff - the after effects of Ramis' extraordinary track record are evident in every filthy bromance exchange, every comedy team from the Superbad trio to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, every sentimental story disguised in gross-out clothing. Yet to watch the dull, lazy and lowbrow mess that is Year One, you'd think Ramis had honed his writing and directing skills on the Scary Movie 'comedy' franchise, rather than the likes of Animal House, Caddyshack and Ghostbusters.
The director himself even goes so far as admitting that the genesis for the film came from a 35-year-old improvisational sketch featuring Bill Murray and John Belushi; given the anachronistic jokes on offer and the size zero plotline, Year One should have remained as a five-minute skit in 1974.
While Black and Cera are merely loincloth-clad versions of the same characters they trot out time after time, there's at least a childish charm to their back-and-forth spats. But the same can't be said for the supporting cast, with Oliver Platt slumming it as a flamboyant and hirsute high priest, Christopher Mintz-Plasse practically begging to play McLovin' forever and Vinnie Jones inexplicably billed above Hank Azaria (one of the film's few saving graces).
There are fine comedic actors on show here - Paul Rudd and Bill Hader both shine in very brief cameos - but the material raises a snigger at best, never a belly laugh.
Inappropriately strong violence sits uneasily with a saddening predilection for lowest common denominator humour and some sloppy editing and background extras confirm that this is little more than a Saturday Night Live sketch stretched out to 90 minutes. Like Night at the Museum 2, it's a comedy that misuses its onscreen talent and ends as far less than the sum of its parts.
Though there's a hackneyed attempt at a Life of Brian-style climax about worshipping false prophets - as well as a door left open for a sequel that need never come - Year One can't shake the awful Meet the Spartans territory of its earlier fart and dick jokes. One to file alongside Ramis' misfires (Bedazzled springs horribly to mind), rather than his classics.
4/10
Lewis Bazley