At one time, Year One director Harold Ramis could do no wrong. For those not familiar with the name, he is the comedic genius who brought us the likes of National Lampoon's Vacation, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day. However, all of the aforementioned films shared a cohesive vision of satirical humor grounded in relatable situations; Year One does not. The main characters are two hunter/ gatherers named Zed and Oh (played by Jack Black and Michael Cera, respectively) who are chased out of their village after consuming a forbidden fruit. Their travels take them out of the realm of Neanderthals and into the biblical lands of the Old Testament. Once there, the pair ventures from one location to another, encountering a number of awkward situations along the way. Most of these short filler scenes feel incomplete and awkward, and the constant change in both the physical setting and the characters' appearance makes for a disjointed regression to sketch comedy.
That's not to say these short anecdotes aren't funny. In fact, they are often rather thought-provoking hypotheses of biblical toilet practices. In my personal opinion, the highlight of the film was watching Cera and Black respond to the proposition of undergoing circumcision at the hands of Abraham. Surprisingly, I got a lot of enjoyment from the film up to this point"¦ but then things took a sharp turn. Around the half hour mark, it seems that Ramis simply ran out of ideas and figured that the sinful city of Sodom would be a good place to finish out the plot. Granted, this location allowed for some particularly funny scenes of hedonism and debauchery, by this point it just didn't feel right to linger in one place for so long.
All in all, the individual performances in Year One were mixed. Cera and Black thankfully do quite well at establishing a fun dynamic duo that's entertaining to watch. David Cross, however, was downright annoying as Cain; though to be fair, I've never really liked any of his performances in the first place. Many of the other ancillary characters were dull and unnecessary. Olivia Wilde seemed completely bored with her role as Princess Inanna; this probably has to do with the fact that the movie could have made perfect sense without her. Oliver Platt, however, manages to steal a number of scenes as a pedophiliac high priest"¦ okay, that really doesn't sound funny at all right now; but trust me, it is.
However, without a consistent direction, Year One just can't seem to venture out of the realm of utter mediocrity. You'll laugh during this film, I don't doubt that. However, by the time you come out of the theater, you'll likely have forgotten what it was that you were laughing at. It feels like too many people were cruising through this film for the paycheck. Overall, Year One lacks the soul of Ramis' best works and the modern inspiration of Judd Apatow's more contemporary comedies.
