Pudgy comedian Jack Black is partnered here with perpetual schlub Michael Cera (Juno) in director Harold Ramis' somewhat mis-titled Year One (which actually condenses centuries of human history into what seems to be a few weeks' time). Black and Cera play misfit cavemen Zed and Oh, who have been banished from their tribe. During the course of their travels, the unlikely pals run into a number of biblical figures, including Cain (David Cross), Abel (Paul Rudd), Abraham (Hank Azaria), and Isaac (Christopher “McLovin” Mintz-Plasse). The meandering story eventually winds up in Sodom and Gomorrah, where the hapless heroes make a frantic bid to rescue two female members of their former tribe, who've been captured and enslaved. The dialogue and gags are deliberately anachronistic (“What transpires in Sodom stays in Sodom”), but there's a depressing reliance on potty humor and immature sexual references. In fact, one gets the impression that a potentially funny film was deliberately sacrificed on the altar of lowest-common-denominator comedy in a bid to attract teen audiences, who still largely avoided Year One like the plague. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Harold Ramis and costars Jack Black and Michael Cera, “The Journey Begins” making-of featurette (18 min.), extended and alternate scenes (15 min.), a gag reel (9 min.), an alternate ending (8 min.), “Line-O-Rama” outtakes (5 min.), deleted scenes (4 min.), a “Sodom's Got ‘Em” gag commercial (2 min.), a “Leeroy Jenkins: The Gates of Sodom” bonus scene (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are BD-Live extras including a “Year One Cutting Room” feature allowing viewers to create a video and share it, options for “cinechat” onscreen instant messages, and “movieIQ” real-time accessible information on cast, crew, music, and other production details. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a cinematic dud.] (E. Hulse)
Year One
Sony, 97 min., avail. in PG-13 or unrated editions, DVD: $28.98, Blu-ray: $39.95, Oct. 6 Volume 24, Issue 5
Year One
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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