The latest in a long line of Frat Pack comedies, Year One is the first to be set in ancient times. Starring Jack Black and Michael Cera as Zed and Oh, two tribesmen banished from their tribe for breaking the rules, Year One chronicles their journey across the biblical world. Encountering Cain and Abel and Abraham and Isaac, before at last arriving in Sodom, it is down to Zed and Oh to save the objects of their desires from slavery and impending death.
Attempting to riff on the clichéd vision we have of the life portrayed in the bible, the satire really struggles to bite. While Zed and Oh’s hunting and gathering might bring a smile to your face, all in all, Year One is very mediocre.
The chemistry between Jack Black and Michael Cera isn’t as strong as you would have hoped and while they do the best with what they’re given, Year One struggled to bring the laugh count to two hands. The script is almost entirely without humour and not even as if attempted jokes had failed, it feels like they didn’t even try a to make the audience laugh.
In Year One’s defence, Hank Azaria does make another decent cameo after saving Night At The Museum 2 but really the film starts to get boring after the first short act. Only big fans of Cera and Black need catch this film, and even then, it’s far from a must-see.
★★★★★