Harold Ramis is the director and/or writer behind some of the funniest films ever made. His credits include Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, and Ghostbusters amongst others. His latest movie, Year One, will do absolutely nothing to add to his reputation, rather, it very well may take away from it.
The film follows two would-be hunter-gatherers as they make their way through various moments in the book of Genesis. Things in the film really get going when Zed (Jack Black) opts to take a bite of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Rather than actually learning anything more about himself or gaining insight into his world, following his snack he gets booted from his village for being a troublemakers – something he was well before he ever took a bite of the apple. His friend, Oh (Michael Cera), very reluctantly heads out of the village with Zed, and the two head off into the unknown.
On their journey, Zed and Oh meet Cain and Abel, witness Abraham's binding of Isaac, but end up spending the majority of their time in Sodom, a place they initially believe will be great fun. Of course, things don't turn out to be gre
at in Sodom – people want them dead, they still get no respect, and find themselves in horrible situations, but somehow they manage to defeat the various villains they encounter and save the city (an alternate ending included with the Blu-ray features the destruction of the city).
The film is full of extremely talented, funny, actors who are completely wasted in the roles given them. Cera and Black both play the type of roles for which they have already been typecast. Cera is the quiet, lovable loser, awkward and in love, but never quite sure how to go about pursuing his dreams. Black is the loud, obnoxious, buffoon, never aware of how unintelligent he is and refusing to believe it when anyone explains it to him.
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