Amy WangYEAR ONE WAS THE BEST FILM EVER!!!
June 22nd 2009 10:36
PSYCHE. That is how much of a joke the film Year One is. It was bad. Really, really quite bad. Year One's director, Harold Ramis, who is definitely not a bad director or writer, having written Groundhog Day, the Ghostbusters Trilogy and Analyse This/Analyse That, surprisingly delivers a dry and very nonsensical film. I rarely question the film when I am watching it, but during Year One, I found myself constantly thinking "What happened to that snake" and "How can so many different tribes from different time periods from different parts of the world all be in walking distance from one another?".....!?!?!?!?!
The entire film was very fragmented in its editing style, often failing to explain certain things and just jumping to the next scene. I felt was disoriented from this and it was such a huge obvious flaw that I'm surprised the studios didn't do something about it. Now, the plot is very very simple. A man, Zed (Jack Black), eats the forbidden fruit in his tribe and is outcast into the 'unknown world'. His best friend, Oh (Michael Cera) follows him and the two of them meet a whole heap of quirky characters. Ultimately, Zed and Oh arrive at 'Sodom', a place of sin, and Zed convinces himself that he is the 'chosen one', who is supposed to bring rain to the community.
The film is OBVIOUSLY banking solely on the combined hilarity of Jack Black Humour and Michael Cera Humour. Both actors are so distinct in their humour that audiences are willing to see this film just for the possible hilarity that might result from the two actors' mouth. Well, I'm sorry to say this, but they FAIL to deliver any funny lines. Yes, I did laugh out loud, but that was only during the moments where I could not believe something was happening on screen, like feces eating or urine trickling down Cera's upside down face. The humour utilised in the film was cheap, overdone and quite beneath this previously witty screenwriter.
As for the rest of the characters...Christopher Mintz-Plasse commonly referred to as Mclovin' from the much loved movie 'Superbad' is predictably the same character as his other roles...relying too much on his comical face and failing to make much sense. The worst character however, was Oliver Platt, who played a cross dressing high priest. His character was SOOOOOOOOOO ridiculous and really was that bad cherry on top. His on screen annoyance includes trying to seduce Michael Cera by making him rub hot oil all over his very hairy chest, and his horrible blue eyeshadow.
The only saviour for me was Hank Azaria! Oh praise that man. Not only voicing The Simpsons, this man is a true character actor, emersing himself in almost every role he's ever played. He was very believable as Abraham, the father who tries to circumcise the world...and although he only had a small role in the film, he did not fail to impress!
I think the biggest problem with the humour in the film was that it often took things way too far. It did not leave much for the audience to imagine or decipher, pretty much feeding us with vile humour and tasteless jokes. Often the humour ends with Jack Black's first response...but the scene continues for another 2 minutes on the same topic, really milking that laughter.
I give this film 2 STARS OUT OF 5.
The entire film was very fragmented in its editing style, often failing to explain certain things and just jumping to the next scene. I felt was disoriented from this and it was such a huge obvious flaw that I'm surprised the studios didn't do something about it. Now, the plot is very very simple. A man, Zed (Jack Black), eats the forbidden fruit in his tribe and is outcast into the 'unknown world'. His best friend, Oh (Michael Cera) follows him and the two of them meet a whole heap of quirky characters. Ultimately, Zed and Oh arrive at 'Sodom', a place of sin, and Zed convinces himself that he is the 'chosen one', who is supposed to bring rain to the community.
The film is OBVIOUSLY banking solely on the combined hilarity of Jack Black Humour and Michael Cera Humour. Both actors are so distinct in their humour that audiences are willing to see this film just for the possible hilarity that might result from the two actors' mouth. Well, I'm sorry to say this, but they FAIL to deliver any funny lines. Yes, I did laugh out loud, but that was only during the moments where I could not believe something was happening on screen, like feces eating or urine trickling down Cera's upside down face. The humour utilised in the film was cheap, overdone and quite beneath this previously witty screenwriter.
As for the rest of the characters...Christopher Mintz-Plasse commonly referred to as Mclovin' from the much loved movie 'Superbad' is predictably the same character as his other roles...relying too much on his comical face and failing to make much sense. The worst character however, was Oliver Platt, who played a cross dressing high priest. His character was SOOOOOOOOOO ridiculous and really was that bad cherry on top. His on screen annoyance includes trying to seduce Michael Cera by making him rub hot oil all over his very hairy chest, and his horrible blue eyeshadow.
The only saviour for me was Hank Azaria! Oh praise that man. Not only voicing The Simpsons, this man is a true character actor, emersing himself in almost every role he's ever played. He was very believable as Abraham, the father who tries to circumcise the world...and although he only had a small role in the film, he did not fail to impress!
I think the biggest problem with the humour in the film was that it often took things way too far. It did not leave much for the audience to imagine or decipher, pretty much feeding us with vile humour and tasteless jokes. Often the humour ends with Jack Black's first response...but the scene continues for another 2 minutes on the same topic, really milking that laughter.
I give this film 2 STARS OUT OF 5.
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