Year One had potential. It was the reason I went to see it. From the trailers it showed enough promising non Jack Black humor to interest me, particularly the biblical comedy reminiscent of Life of Brian or Bruce Almighty, something not usually served at the multiplex. But the movie failed me in that respect. It was simply Jack Black humor, mixed in with some awkward Michael Cera humor. This is a run of the mill, insert-laugh-track-here, sitcom esc movie that has too many pooping and peeing jokes than it knows what to do with.
Don't let the movie's premise fool you: Two friends, Zed (Black) and Oh (Cera) go on an extraordinary adventure through out early biblical time, to "find themselves". The issue in that summary is that these are not characters, these are actors. Jack Black shows no depth, doing the same shtick he normally does adding random melodic singing tones every so often and uses his body in a way that should only seem fitting to someone more slender and with more abs. In summary, everything you've ever seen Jack Black do before.
And Cera. Oh Michael Cera. If his awkward stumble-over-lines-in-an-attempt-to-seem-genuine didn't fool you in Juno, Nick and Norah, or Superbad, let him try again. Cera may be a good actor, but this movie doesn't display that at all.
Even the usual gags you foresee happening don't work. People cutting off their balls? Not funny. People peeing on their faces? Not funny. Girls not shaving their armpits ever? Not funny. If a second grader could think it up, it's here.
The storyline showed potential, but the biblical gags that occur are limited. In an attempt to connect more with the audience, jokes involving more farting than God were written. Not that that's a bad thing...except the farting jokes are terrible and fall flat. Year One is a comedy for those that are about in that age rang, year one. Otherwise avoid it. Trust me. Grade - D
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