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Directed by Harold Ramis
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Year One Harold
Ramis has written and directed some wonderful
comedies: “Caddyshack” and “Groundhog
Day” come to mind, but ever since he’s gotten entangled with Jud Apatow his work has come down – way down –
down to where there’s no wit left.. “Year One” is a pastiche
of stupid manly jokes, something like “Dumb and Dumber” only with
a complete sexist tilt to them.
Zed (Jack Black) and Oh (Michael Cera) are
two cavemen in, what else, the Year One.
Because of Black’s obscene behavior they are kicked out of the
tribe, to make their way into other tribes and other embarrassments. At this point I need to say that the
woman down the row from me at the screening laughed and laughed at every
penis joke, and when it came to some caveman’s foreskin I thought
she’d go crazy. If
that’s funny to you, let me recommend this film. In
the words of our late president Nixon, I Am Not Without a Sense of Humor, but
I have to say that “Year One” is one of the most dismal comedies
I’ve ever seen. In fact, if
you should stay until the closing credits, you’ll see the outtakes that
are at least a bit funnier than the film itself. In the course of the duo’s
wandering, they come to Sodom and Gomorrah, and not since the Bible have those
two cities been less funny. With
a whole shelf-full of Borscht-Belt jokes, the two men miss every opportunity
to be witty. I unfortunately
forgot my notebook and so I’m unable to recollect even one attempt at
humor, but that’s how it goes. Michael
Cera is presented first as an effeminate little
virgin of a boy, and Jack Black is at his filmic worst, mugging and shouting
at everyone else on screen.
Naturally, Cera’s worm turns and he
finally gets rid of his virginity, but it isn’t even funny. This is a film made up of gags, none
of which work. In a year of bad
comedies, “Year One” has to be the worst. |