Year One

Rated PG-13 for lots of sexual jokes and bad language
Reviewed by Karl Scott


Harold Ramis, writer and director of Year One, has a few really funny movies
in his credits column. They include Animal House, Caddyshack, Stripes,
Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters. Year One is not going into that column. It should
be buried under one comprised of large cement blocks.

Watching Year One is like having one of the cement blocks land on your head. It would be a lot more entertaining to visit a pet store and watch the hamster run around on his wheelie thing for a couple of hours. I've had more laughs at the DMV than during this fiasco.

More recently HR brought us Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story which grossed close to 23 dollars at the box office before no more of his relatives would pay to get into the theater.

Year One is a Jack Black and 'others' vehicle that is supposed to show off their comedic skills. Since the script isn't funny somebody needs to step up to the plate and get a laugh out of the audience. Actually the laugh is on the audience especially those few of us who handed over cash at the box office to gain entry.

The film starts out as a caveman spoof then moves to a Biblical satire. The outtake reel of the "King of Kings" would probably have more humor. The movie creeps ahead slowly, piling up unfunny scene after unfunny scene until the unfunny outtakes over the credits make their mandatory appearance. By that time those in the audience who didn't get up and leave are making nooses out of their clothing articles in hopes they might run into Harold Ramis on the way out of the theater.

This movie runs 97 minutes but seems to go on for a good fourscore and seven years. Come to think of it that speech had more laughs in it than this movie. If you decide to go see Year One in spite of what I said let me suggest one last alternative. Leprosy would be a lot more fun. Trust me.
Rated Year Zero