Year One - DVD and Blu-ray Review

SONY
Street: Oct. 6
Prebook: now
> Raucous comedy has clever premise but relies heavily on crude gags.

Despite its interesting comedic premise, Year One fails to realize its potential thanks to uneven scripting and the director's determination to take the low road for easy laughs. The film follows two primitives (Jack Black and Michael Cera) who are exiled from their tribe and have misadventures with various Biblical figures before winding up as slaves in Sodom. Most of the characters use modern-day slang, giving Year One an absurdist slant reminiscent of an early Marx Brothers movie, or at the very least a Hope-Crosby “Road” flick. But an unwise reliance on gross-out gags undercuts the film's effectiveness. (The unrated director's cut, housed with the PG-13 version, is even grosser.) A top-notch cast—including Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria, Paul Rudd, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Gia Carides—lends welcome support.

Shelf Talk: Effective marketing should make Year One a profitable title. The theatrical trailer makes the film seem funnier than it actually is, so playing it in store might attract curious patrons. Director Harold Ramis has been responsible for such hugely profitable comedies as Groundhog Day and Analyze This, so stressing the directorial pedigree and strong cast will cinch the deal.