What a difference one year can make!
In 2008 Jack Black voiced the lovable Po in the animated hit “Kung Fu Panda”, and was very funny in my favorite film of the year, “Be Kind Rewind”. However, in “Year One”, Black is not lovable or funny. And the movie will be no one’s favorite film of this year.
Black and Michael Cera play two cavemen, living in Year One. Black’s character, Zed, is a bad hunter and Cera’s Oh is a terrible gatherer. The two are forced to leave their tribe and so they set-out on an adventure in which they meet famous people from the Bible, including Cain and Abel and Abraham.
They eventually get captured and become slaves, and try to free themselves and their girlfriends, who are also slaves.
The first 10-15 minutes of “Year One” are not that bad, with a few good jokes and funny situations, but the rest of the movie is simply terrible. The performances aren’t great, the story isn’t interesting and, most of all, it’s just not funny. Instead, it’s mostly gross. Way too many poop and pee and body parts jokes – and I (and just about everyone in the theater when I saw this film when it came out in June) didn’t laugh at any of them.
Hank Azaria, David Cross and Oliver Platt are also in the cast. None of them stand out.
“Year One” is rated PG-13. It’s filled with bad language, adult humor and scenes that are inappropriate for children. I know a lot of kids love Jack Black, but this is definitely one Jack Black movie they SHOULD NOT see. I say 14 and up is the age for “Year One”, but the movie is so bad no kids (or adults) should waste their time buying, renting or watching it.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Year One” gets a D.
It will certainly be a contender for my worst films of the year list.