I have yet to see Mel Brooks’ classic History of The World, Part 1 (aghhhh! Don’t stone me! It’s in my Netflix queue, I swear. Have mercy.) but I’m going to assume that Year One was partly inspired by Brooks’ spoof of monumental events in our world’s history. Too bad Year One couldn’t inherit Brooks’ slick and outrageous style of humor because as comedies go Year One is about as rib-tickling as sitting through a three hour lecture on fossilized ostrich eggs.


Rub the massaging oil on my skin or else you'll get the hose again. - Oh (a gold painted Michael Cera) and High Priest (Oliver Platt)

The story begins with Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera). After the two are quickly established as the two losers of their tribe Zed manages to get himself kicked out by eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Oh decides to accompany Zed on his trek to who-knows-where. The two end up in some familiar scenarios such as the murder of Abel (Paul Rudd) at Cain’s (David Cross) hand (er, rock in this case) and Issac’s (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) near sacrifice performed by his father, Abraham (Hank Azaria). Eventually, Zed and Oh are reunited with their now enslaved tribe-members in the city of Sodom. Zed tries to access his newfound wisdom to form a plan that will free his former neighbors from captivity especially his beloved, Maya (June Diane Raphael).

My main gripe is with the two lead actors. Jack Black is okay and I am a fan of Michael Cera’s deadpan deliveries but I realized something while driving home after the movie. I thought “Is it me or does Jack Black play the same character in every movie he’s in?” True, there are some slight variations from his performance in Be Kind, Rewind to his voicework in Kung Fu Panda. But essentially “Zed” has the same mannerisms and expressions and joke deliveries that Mr. Black seems to dish out in most of his films. I think King Kong is the only movie I’ve seen Mr. Black appear in where he actually did something different, not drastically different but a noticeable change from his usual routine.


Oh (Michael Cera), Zed (Jack Black) and Cain (David Cross)

And I’m not trying to hate on Michael Cera. I loved him on Arrested Development (cancelled way too soon) and he was great in Juno. But like Mr. Black, Mr. Cera does that same dowdy dude routine he’s been working since Arrested Development and onwards through Juno and Superbad. It was great five movies ago but now it’s getting tired. The same way Jim Carrey’s manic shtick got tired and Robin Williams’ hyper activity became tired.

Buddha be praised for the supporting cast because they recognize the importance of character acting and bring it hot and steaming to the table. First up is David Cross as crazy Cain that, thanks to some creative writing, becomes a recurring character in Year One and constantly switches between being a friend to Zed and Oh and then their nemesis. Cross’ Cain is a jerk (I would use a more fitting term but there are children and puppies present) but he’s a funny jerk.

Next up is Oliver Platt as the over-the-top High Priest of Sodom. I was very impressed with Platt’s garish portrayal of the overly adorned royal spiritual leader of the kingdom. I dunno which scene I liked more: the one where he’s reading entrails or the scene where poor Oh is forced to rub oil on the High Priest’s forest of a belly. Hank Azaria is a hoot as Abraham. Even the subtle little accent he gives to the word “God” is comically inspiring. I only wish there were more characters like that in the movie but even a few of these memorable performances made my ticket purchase a lot less regrettable.


Zed (Jack Black), Oh (Michael Cera), Issac (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) & Abraham (Hank Azaria) 

Now that I think about it the females don’t get into a lot of the action as far as the hysterics go. June Diane Raphael plays Maya straight and it works because you need at least one of the tribal females to be intelligent but Oh’s hesitant love interest, Eema (Juno Temple), could’ve been a bit more outrageous. Oh and Princess Inanna was wasted. Why did Olivia Wilde have to play her so by-the-book? I’m thinking Inanna could’ve been a complete slob underneath all the glam and glitter. Y’know, like have her belch in public gatherings or cuss a lot.

When the opening credits rolled and I saw that Harold Ramis directed Year One I felt such a wave of relief. Surely the man behind legendary laugh flicks like Ghostbusters, Animal House and Groundhog Day would deliver another riot for those of us that have grown weary of watching prepubescent boys trying to score beer and dates with cheerleaders. And while Year One has substantial evidence of true wit Ramis wasn’t able to pull the rabbit completely out of the hat, just the head (though after seeing Year One some of you might think he pulled out the least flattering end of the bunny). I give Ramis and his fellow writers (Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg) credit for trying to put something different out there. 

I would love to know how they ultimately came up with that sappy ending. I swear it seemed like they stole it from Kung Fu Panda or something.

This is one of those puzzling kind of reviews where I don’t want to specifically tell you not to see Year One but I want to warn you not to get your hopes up. Especially in this economy you don’t want to spend your hard earned dough on a mediocre comedy movie. There are some good things about Year One and there were moments that made me laugh and there were some notable performances that didn't make the trip a complete waste.


We got paid THIS much for wearing these outfits. - Jack Black & Michael Cera

If you’re a Michael Cera or Jack Black fan then you’ll be in for a super-sized helping of their comedic styling. If you’re expecting something that will knock your socks off then Year One ain’t the one but it did accomplish the goal of taking my mind off my troubles while giggling at the misadventures of two goofballs who have it a lot worse than I do.

Okay, my final verdict is that Year One is not an abyssmal comedy but it is not must see. I would recommend that you put this one on your Netflix or On Demand "must see" list.