Year One is about a couple of lazy hunter-gatherers that are banished from their primitive village, and promptly set off on an epic journey through the ancient world. The film stars the king of all things “Over The Top”, Jack Black, and the immensely awkward Michael Cera. This is one movie that I have really been on the fence about lately. A while back, I found a picture from the film that prompted me to do a little investigation into the film, which ultimately led to my first post about Year One. Since then, I have read everything there is to read and seen all the footage there is to see, and I still just don’t know what to think about this movie. On one hand, it looks funny, largely because of Cera. I feel that he is an immensely under-rated comedic talent and I’ve enjoyed ALL of his movies and television work. On the other hand, the plot sounds really stupid to me, and the other star of the film is Jack Black. No other actor can do stupid, over the top comedy like he can. No, that’s not a good thing. I’m really just not a fan.
This trailer has got me leaning toward the “I’m excited about this” side of the fence. I thought it was really funny, with a couple of hilarious scenes that had me laughing well after the trailer was over. I normally don’t enjoy Jack Black movies, but this one may just be an exception to that rule. Year One seems to have all the right pieces in place with a great director, great writer, and talented comedic actors. That doesn’t always translate into a successful movie, but I have high hopes for this one!
Year One opens on June 19th, 2009.