Half-Assed Movie Reviews

June 24, 2009:  Year One

When I’m starting a review by pointing out that some dumb comedy wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be, I like to imagine the reactions among the various Half-Assed Movie Reviews readers.  Some may skip out as soon as it’s clear that I’m reviewing yet another ill-conceived comedy.  Others might hang in at least until I mention Judd Apatow and his influence on this industry segment.  A few be waiting for the labrynthine analysis of the intersecting career arcs of various comic actors over the past three decades, so that they can at least gain a few bits of knowledge from that.  And if we imagine for a moment that the readership is actually beyond the single digits, perhaps I’d even lose a few readers.  Such is the risk I take by admitting the full spectrum of films I take in.

Year One looked dicey even in the previews, despite a few funny lines and some obvious comedy in the absurdity of the premise.  I wouldn’t likely have bothered with this one except that my partner in stupid-comedy crime insisted that I see it with him because of its pedigree.  This was directed and co-written by Harold Ramis, who among other films had previously directed the classics Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), and Groundhog Day (1993).  He also played Dr. Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (I’ll break from my usual habit of stating the exact IMDB spelling of the title, since Ghost Busters seems wrong somehow).  OK, so let’s give Year One a shot.

Well, it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be.  Year One is a both a caveman movie and a biblical epic somewhat awkwardly rolled up into one.  Jack Black and Michael Cera roll out their bog-standard characters, with Black being ebullient yet rude, and Cera the quiet milquetoast.  After the caveman material is exhausted, which happens fairly quickly, Black gets kicked out of the village and Cera joins him and they travel through the desert, where they happen upon a Roman-era city where they go through a Life of Brian-ish episodic parody of religion and ancient lifestyles.

I liked where the story was going, but we end up with a pretty standard redemption ending, nothing special at all, as Black and Cera realize that there’s more to life than power and fame (as long as you get the women).  In the meantime, a lot of gags fall flat, and the potential in roles played by Paul Rudd, David Cross, and Oliver Platt is completely wasted.  Hank Azaria is a lone standout among these supporting players and gets a role which is better written and contains far better jokes.  Overall, though, this is just not a strong comedy.  I’ll continue to give Harold Ramis the benefit of the doubt, and his cameo roles in recent Judd Apatow works including Knocked Up and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story have been nothing short of hilarious, perhaps because of the weight (not literally, though he is growing in that way as well) and history he brings to the patriarchal roles he now plays, having been major player in the emergence of silly comedy since the late 1970s, having also written Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981) and Back to School (1986) among others.  Also, Year One is another fascinating look at the confluence of a wide range of comic actors and stand-up comedians young and old, with the likes of Azaria (probably best known as many Simpsons voices though showing up more in the live-action film world these days), David Cross (edgy stand-up comedian who finally got to the mainstream with Arrested Development), Jack Black (widely known for his Belushi-esque off-the-wall energy), Vinnie Jones (scary thug who’s equally at home in the comic-violent world of Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), and Bill Hader (SNL alum from a weak period of the show, but showing his chops in oddball supporting roles in Apatow-universe films).  Year One is a curiosity but not one I look forward to seeing again any time soon.

An interesting exercise, but not entertaining.