Year One

Directed by Harold Ramis

(PG-13)

**

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Two cavemen stumble into the Old Testament

“Making a solid summer comedy starring Jack Black, Michael Cera, David Cross, and Hank Azaria should be so easy a caveman could do it,” said Christy Lemire in the Associated Press. Yet despite the presence of all those funny men, writer-director Harold Ramis’ Year One is a “dud” of epic proportions. Black and Cera star as hunter Zed and gatherer Oh, misfit cavemen “banished from their village after Zed eats some forbidden fruit.” Call what happens next “Bill and Ted’s Old Testament Adventure,” said Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly. Ramis puts the duo through a series of “half-cocked Bible stories,” which in fact are little more than pretenses for Black to deliver his trademark stoner shtick, and Cera his self-effacing geek routine, to “a bunch of long-bearded scowlers.” Ramis steals from both Mel Brooks and Monty Python’s Life of Brian, said Kyle Smith in the New York Post. So we’ve seen all these jokes “CLXX times before.” On a few occasions, Black and Cera do actually click and “maketh with the giggles.” But most of the time, Year One is as entertaining as a club to the head.