Columbia PicturesReview in a Hurry: Cavemen Jack Black and Michael Cera get their cheetah cloths in a twist about what a bummer ancient history is. No wheels, no fire, no floss. The comedy duo make like Abbott & Costello for the ancients in this buddy comedy.
The Bigger Picture: The movie tries for laughs wherever it can find 'em in the goofy style of Airplane or Mel Brooks' A History of the World. There are hundreds of jokes and about a quarter of them kill, half of them work and the rest are silly fun.
Here's the setup: Black's a cut-rate hunter, and Cera's a brainy, reluctant gatherer. The pair get banished from their primitive village when Black takes a crunchy bite from the forbidden fruit. The two set off for better things but run into trouble when they stumble into God's country. They mingle with Cain and Abel, party with Abraham and get dirty in Sodom. But will they find meaning and salvation before a vengeful God smites them?
That's the plot, but the real story is trying to figure out how Cera keeps his awkward, deadpan schtick so fresh. The guy takes the edge off of Black's full-throttle oafishness. And another thing: Oliver Platt is a revelation; he just annihilates his juicy character role. More, please.
Mixed in among all the bro jokes, Year One has a subversive edge, taking on all types of orthodoxy, both ancient and modern. The jabs are never mean-spirited, but there is a healthy amount of ribbing aimed at the Romans, the Hebrews and, you guessed it, the Sodomites.
The 180—a Second Opinion: If you skip it this summer, you're not missing too much.