Eye Candy #220 - "Year One"

Year One:  This could only vaguely be described as a “comedy”, as two bumbling tribesmen (played by Jack Black and Michael Cera) stumble around what appears to the be the first chapters of the Old Testament. Zed (Black) eats from the Tree of Knowledge and is cast out of his tribe. Oh (Cera) accompanies him and along the way, they encounter Abraham & Isaac (at the point of sacrifice, followed by a lengthy, unfunny scene about circumcision), Cain & Abel (at the point of their famous murder), and visit Sodom (of ”____ & Gomorrah” fame), while they try and save the women they want to “lay with” from slavery. It takes a special kind of film to completely neuter the humor of Michael Cera on camera (granted, his George Michael/Arrested Development schtick isn’t going to work forever). This all just feels, seems, looks, and smells like a bad idea. Director Harold Ramis used to be a sure thing. This man gave us “Caddyshack”, “Stripes”, and “Ghostbusters”. He hasn’t made a really good movie since 1996’s “Multiplicity”, and “Year One” doesn’t change that trend. A bunch of character actors are here just schticking the heck out themselves, including Oliver Platt, Xander Berkeley, Vinnie Jones, David Cross, and Paul Rudd (who is arguably the best of the bunch and given the least to do). They barely allow Bill Hader to be funny. Disappointing all the way around. Woodchuck sez, “Skip it.”