> Year One
Director: Harold Ramis
Cast: Jack Black, Michael Cera, June Diane Raphael, Juno Temple, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria, David Cross, Christopher Mintz-Plesse, Paul Judd, Vinnie Jones
Rating: (M)
3 stars (out of 5)
Review by By Christine Powley.
Being a comedy star can be a tricky thing. When you first burst upon the scene people go crazy for whatever you do. They want you to keep doing the thing that you do over and over.
It seems as if you have it made, but all too soon they grow tired of that same old routine. Then they turn on you, start posting nasty comments on the internet claiming that you were never really funny at all.
The comedy backlash has well and truly hit Jack Black and his latest film Year One (Hoyts). It has been slammed from all directions, yet it is hard to work out why all the venom. I have seen plenty of films way unfunnier than this.
In fact, Year One has a number of not-too-bad biblical spoofs. It is no Life of Brian but it is a pleasing enough diversion for a rainy day. Black is Zed, an incompetent hunter-gatherer who is banished from the tribe and heads off to find the end of the world with his slightly brighter friend, Oh (Michael Cera). This is about as much plot as you get.
Zed and Oh wander around and keep bumping into comedy duos such as Cain and Abel and Abraham and his son Isaac. Random jokes follow and about half of them hit the mark, which is a good strike rate for this sort of thing.
In a jolly finale they all end up in Sodom and all the jokes that you would expect get wheeled out, mostly more than once.
Best thing: This is a simple but effective comedy, sort of an American Carry On film without Barbara Windsor.
Worst thing: Jack Black just does his Jack Black thing.
See it with: A couple of mates and just chill out.
