Jack Black’s shtick has been wearing thinner and thinner since he hit his stride six years ago in School of Rock. It seems there is still a hint of something more for him to offer us instead of the usual hyper-stoner cool dude (but still a guy with an intense vibe) that he plays because that’s who he is. There’s nothing he can’t do so long as it isn’t heavy drama or romantic comedy. Or action.
Seriously, he’s only got a few years left of the same ol’, same ol’ unless he comes up with another angle. That does not include School of Rock 2, a project already in the works.
His angle this time is familiar but still funny. Two cavemen named Zed (Black) and Oh (Michael Cera) find themselves on a path to greatness after Zed eats the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge and he gets kicked out of their tribe. Zed is neither a great hunter nor gatherer and Oh is not that great a gatherer or leader.
Upon leaving they stumble along famous characters from Bible stories enhanced for humorous effect. Cain (David Cross) and Abel (Paul Rudd) get into a heated farm field argument with a tragic result. Abraham (Hank Azaria) is not the guy I would want for a father. And the town of Sodom is full of decent, hard-working slaves, debauching priests and iron-fisted rulers. It all turns out pretty well in the end.
This is an interesting movie because it teams up writer/director Harold Ramis with über-producer Judd Apatow. I’ve always enjoyed Ramis’ sense of humour and his script, although not stellar, starts off strong and is rich with many gems and great lines. Apatow’s contribution is what could be called ‘the low brow factor.’ That’s saying something for a movie about cavemen. There are several gross out scenes of bodily functions and various excreta that I could have easily done without. They did not improve the movie.
What did work was the writing and acting. The laughs come frequently and unexpectedly because of the actors’ expert delivery and timing. All members were well cast but what really sold me was how much they each committed to their roles, especially Azaria, Vinnie Jones and Oliver Platt. All in all, I laughed and occasionally winced. The first 30 minutes was near perfect but it fizzled only a little after that. Still, for a film with little profanity, sex and violence and oodles of cultural context and reference, this is actually the kind of thing young adults could potentially see with their fathers this weekend. I don’t predict that any mothers would be that interested though.
Year One
Directed by: Harold Ramis
Starring: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Oliver Platt, David Cross, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Juno Temple, June Diane Raphael, Paul Rudd, Vinnie Jones, Olivia Wilde and Hank Azaria
Now playing at: Grandin Theatres, North Edmonton Cineplex and Scotiabank Theatre
Rating: 14A
3.5 stars