Zed (Jack Black) and Og (Michael Cera) are two misfit cavemen. Zed is a hunter, but he’s widely seen as the worst hunter in the village. Og is a gatherer, but he’s so scrawny and meek he’s not much at even woman’s work. When Zed has a supposedly hilarious accident involving his spear and the shoulder of a fellow tribesman, Zed is banished from the village (which he promptly burns down) and begins a trek across time itself. I was excited when I saw Harold Ramis was attached to direct. I thought, “Oh, he’ll be good. He did National Lampoon’s Vacation, Caddyshack, and Groundhog Day!” Shame that’s not the Harold Ramis who showed up for work on Year One. Instead, we got the bloke behind Stuart Saves His Family and Analyze That. The pacing is uneven, and the movie seems to stumble along drunkenly rather than flow. The scenes in the caveman era drag on way too long and the middle part of the film seems to move too quickly. The ultimate goal is Sodom, but why spend so long in the caveman huts and almost no time in the traveling caravan of desert Hebrews? Black’s act has gone far beyond stale, and this film isn’t quality enough to make us forget about him while the other characters take the lead. Michael Cera is good as Black’s straight man, but he can’t carry the movie by himself (nor does he get the chance to). There could’ve been more of David Cross’s Cain and a little bit less of Oliver Platt’s High Priest. Hank Azaria channeling Charlton Heston was more distracting than funny, and we could’ve seen more from Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s smart-assed take on Isaac. All the focus on Michael Cera in the trailers made me forget I was dealing with yet another vehicle for Jack Black. Year One seems like it started life out as a different kind of movie that got turned into something studios felt would work for Jack Black. That’s the only reason I can see for how this movie turned out the way it did. US correspondent Ron Hogan thinks it is past time for Jack Black to quit making movies and concentrate on another Tenacious D album. Find more by Ron at his blog, Subtle Bluntness, and daily at Shaktronics and PopFi. Read Emma Matthews’ opinion of Year One here.
title: “Year One Review” ShowToc: true date: “2025-08-16” author: “Artie Lockley”
The movie follows two hapless hunter/gatherers Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera) as they search for a better, more interesting life. And, of course, women. Thrown out of their Eden-style village for eating the Forbidden Fruit, the pair find themselves living and changing the course of what could very well have been the Old Testament. Witnessing the death of Abel at the hands of his brother Caine (Paul Rudd and David Cross, respectively), being sold into slavery, living with Abraham (his son totally deserved it, by the way), narrowly escaping the world’s first circumcision, and an orgy at the Palace of Sodom are just some of the scrapes the pair get into on their search. Expanding the horizons of a hunter/gatherer would appear to be quite dangerous work… The usually effervescent Jack Black seems strangely subdued, as does David Cross, but it’s not the acting that’s the problem. As is expected with an Apatow production, the supporting and guest cast are always spot on, and Year One is no exception. Paul Rudd, Hank Azaria, even Harold Ramis all add a much needed touch of class to the proceedings, but Oliver Platt’s high camp high priest steals every scene he’s in, and will not be forgotten in a hurry. Platt (last seen in Frost/Nixon) and the rest of the actors playing the royal family from Sodom do so in English accents – some of the best English accents you’ll ever hear from the mouths of Americans – the acting is not the problem… It’s the script. Despite the pedigree of the writing talent, the script just doesn’t deliver. There are one or two funny moments – the comedy of circumcision never fails to get a laugh, but it’s just not good enough, Harold Ramis! Those of us who were there when Ghostbusters was first released have particular expectations of a man who is capable of writing such funny, smart, warm and timeless comedy (take note, Dan Aykroyd) and Year One is so far off the mark it’s almost funny. Almost. (You can thank Oliver Platt for the third star) Read Ron Hogan’s take on Year One here.
