Who Plays Who?

Jack Black Michael Cera Oliver Platt David Cross Christopher Mintz-Plasse Vinnie Jones Hank Azaria Juno Temple Olivia Wilde June Diane Raphael Xander Berkeley Gia Carides Horatio Sanz David Pasquesi Matthew J Willig Harold Ramis Rhoda Griffis Gabriel Sunday Eden Riegel Kyle Gass

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Zed Oh High Priest Cain Isaac Sargon Abraham Eema Princess Inanna Maya King Queen Enmebaragesi Prime Minister Marlak Adam Eve Seth Lilith Zaftig the Eunuch

What Do The Critics Say

"Year One has one joke, but it's a good one, played for many variations over the course of an often very funny comedy. It's the contrast between the modern sensibility embodied by Black and Michael Cera and that of a brutal, early period of history. Director Ramis, who wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay, never lets "Year One" settle. He keeps the plot moving, introducing new elements and finding new opportunities for comedy." Mick LaSalle SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "You heard it here first: Year One is the best prehistoric comedy of 2009." Jeff Otto CINEMA OBSESSION "Expect to be amused, not hilarioused." Chriss Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS "A thoroughly, sometimes gaggingly broad and sly conceptual laugh-in." Manohla Dargis NEW YORK TIMES "It's a bit flabby and careless, but it's also gleefully stupid, and it has the ability to knock you off guard and make you giggle helplessly." Jeffrey M. Anderson COMBUSTIBLE CELLULOID "Targeting with surgical precision the teenage market with a keenly juvenile sense of humour, Year One brings together every manner of silliness that can be crammed into the concept." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE

"Terrific supporting jesters in Year One. Hank Azaria turns the imperious Abraham into a very grand wack-job; David Cross makes the murderous Cain a figure of hilariously matter-of-fact ego; and Oliver Platt, freeing himself from his usual mopiness, is a marvel as Sodom's high priest. Platt, more than anyone, is the soul of the movie, he makes even the most primitive perversity sound: well, civilized." Owen Gleiberman ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "The gross-out moments function as camouflage for what proves to be a surprisingly trenchant critique of the human penchant for violence, greed, deceit, hubris and, especially, religious superstition." John Beifuss COMMERCIAL APPEAL "I'm really fond of Michael Cera. I think he's got something on screen that's very sweet." Margaret Pomeranz ABC AT THE MOVIES "An amiable stroll through biblical times featuring Jack Black and Michael Cera as exiled Neanderthals, Year One lacks seismic guffaws but elicits many mild smiles." Ronnie Scheib VARIETY "The actors make a surprisingly effective comic team, with Black's manic energy trampolining off Cera's deflated passivity. If all they did was hang around the village, you'd have the makings of a Saturday Night Live skit. A short one. Hunt boar, end up getting chased by boar. But producer/director/writer Harold Ramis, another Hollywood smart guy mining dumb humor, has some tricks up his sleeve.Ramis has assembled an all-star supporting cast to play the Old Testament figures they meet along the way." David Hiltbrand PHILADELPHIA ENQUIRER

The Inside Story As it was in the beginning when God started creating the universes: there was nothing. The same applied to the creative mind of Harold Ramis and then, he had an idea. "I was thinking about two things in comedy that I love," the writer/director/producer revealed. "One was Mel Brooks's "Two Thousand Year Old Man", and the other was an improvisation I staged thirty five years ago with John Belushi (who in 1981 played Earl Keese on "Neighbours") and Bill Murray (who played Raleigh St Clair in "The Royal Tenenbaums"). Bill played a Cro-Magnon man with a completely hip and contemporary vibe, and John played a Neanderthal Man as an idiot. For this movie, I had those inspirations in mind when I thought it would be really interesting to put someone with a contemporary consciousness in an ancient setting." That’s when he hit upon the idea for Year One. In his words he says, "Two innocent, know-nothing Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, Zed and Oh, get kicked out of their Garden of Eden paradise and begin a search for what life is all about." Taking that trek is none other than 2009 Kids' Choice Awards, Blimp Award winner, Jack Black ("Kung Fu Panda"). "Zed is living a very tribal lifestyle in his primitive village with hunters and gatherers," notess Black, "but he’s wondering if there’s more to life than just hunting, gathering, and sleeping." Joining Zed on the first road trip in history is Oh, played by two time 2007 Breakthrough Artist Award winner Michael Cera ("Juno" & "Superbad"). While Zed is aggressive in his pursuit of meaning, Oh dragged into the unknown kicking and screaming. "We called this character 'Oh' because he’s completely reacting to life and everything in life that is a threat to his character: and he does suffer a lot in the movie," Ramis says with a chuckles. Shepherding the project is producer Judd Apatow ("Knocked Up"), who teams with Ramis for the first time. "It was a dream come true to get to work with Harold Ramis. Some of the highlights of my childhood were the days when I went with my friends to see "Stripes", "Ghostbusters", "Caddyshack" and "Animal House". He is obviously one of my main inspirations. It has been a real honor to get to see him work up close. Sometimes I would be watching Harold work and think to myself, 'Oh, this is where we got all these funny comedy team relationships from.' His work is hardwired into our brains." To write the screenplay, Ramis turned to a writing team that he knew well. Gene Stupnitsky had once served as Ramis’s intern, and Lee Eisenberg had been a waiter at one of Ramis’s favorite restaurants (Alchemy Bistro and Bar on Martha’s Vineyard). They met as production assistants on one of Ramis’s films, started writing together, and then found better gigs: writing the hit series "The Office". "I really didn’t want to write alone," 2001 Screenwriting Hall of Fame Inductee Ramis explained. "Who could I get who would really push me? They were ready for the challenge, full of ideas, and very professional. We had a great time." As the characters fleshed out on the page, the director was cognizant that the actors cast would finally bring them to life. In his mind’s eye, he saw Jack Black as his hero, Zed. The whole time Ramis was thinking, "Wow, this could be great for Jack Black. Jack really knows how to be silly and take big chances with comedy. He’s incredibly sharp; there’s a really great articulation to what he does." "Harold loves actors: he encourages us to do our thing, he wants us to play," says 2004 MTV Movie Award winner Black ("School Of Rock"). Black was attracted to the project by the screenplay, which has a tone he admired. "I liked the script’s attitude: nothing is sacred. It doesn’t take anything seriously." As for his character, Black had this to say: "Zed is very quick to assume that he’s been chosen by the gods for some great mission. He thinks that will give him meaning in his life. He’s a searcher. He wants to figure out what the hell is going on in this strange world." Joining Zed on his epic quest is his buddy, Oh, played by Michael Cera ("Frequency"). "One of the great pleasures of working on this film was watching Jack Black and Michael Cera work," says 2007 Sierra Award winning producer Judd Apatow ("Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"). "Individually they are two of my all time favorite comic actors, but observing them as they developed this amazing chemistry was something very special." "I’d seen Michael on Arrested Development playing a lovable innocent," Ramis (Ghostbusters I & II") recalls. "Then I saw "Superbad" and he was still sweet and innocent, but in the most profane setting you can imagine. He combines a lovely intelligence with an amazing delicacy. I love what he brings to this part." For his part, Cera wouldn’t imagine passing on the opportunity to work with Ramis. "I love Harold’s work," he said. "The thought of working with him was really exciting. He’s been a big influence on my life." Cera notes his character "definitely doesn’t believe everything that Zed says and is forced to put up with Zed’s theories about life. All of which leads to a lot of trouble for Oh." On working with Ramis? "Harold is very relaxed as a director, very open to ideas but also sure of what he wants. You have freedom to do whatever you want. If it’s funny, you get a laugh, and that’s a great feeling. If it’s not funny, he’ll tell you to move on." As is common, as one of the last steps before considering the screenplay ready to begin casting and shooting, the studio held a read-through. Out of both respect for their friend Ramis and their admiration for the project, many funny actors took part. It was a success; in fact, "our table read was so good," says Ramis, "that we got the go-ahead to make the movie and hired everybody at the table." Joining the two for much of their quest is Cain played by 2003 Copper Wing Award winner David Cross ("Melvin Goes to Dinner"), who, when they meet, is about to kill his brother Abel, played by Paul Rudd in a cameo role. Cross was at the read-through and was thrilled to be asked to take part formally. "It was a lot of fun." Cain was a character that Cross could relish. "It’s very much fun to play a guy who doesn’t have any morals and is manipulative and threatening. He’s just a nasty guy." For Cain’s partner in crime, that is, his victim: Ramis had a very specific actor in mind. "I wanted Abel to be a paragon of goodness, handsome and strong. I really admire Paul Rudd, a really facile and gifted actor, so incredibly likeable. He really delivered, even though he was only in for a couple of days. It would have been nice to have Paul for more scenes: it’s too bad Abel gets killed." When pondering who to cast as the one hundred and thirty seven year-old father of all religions, Ramis thought of Hank Azaria ("Night At The Museum: Battle For The Smithsonian"). "Way back when, George C Scott played Abraham in a John Huston film called "The Bible". I had this notion of getting Hank Azaria playing George C Scott playing Abraham. I thought if I could get Hank to do this; I could push him all the way to Patton. That’s what Hank did at the table reading and it was hysterical. It was just no question we were going to get Hank to do the movie after that." Once he got to set and went through the hair, make-up and the wardrobe process, Azaria seemed a little concerned, "I’d sit there looking like one of the Hasidic trading cards," he joked. "It’s disturbing to me how authentic I looked. How old, and how Jewish. But Hank, you are Jewish. So I guess it stands to reason. You know, if anyone came around today saying, 'Listen. God told me you have to cut the end of your schmeckle off,' he’d probably meet with some resistance. I guess it helps if you look like this. Helps sell it." Playing his hapless son Abraham, the soon to be recipient of the first recorded circumcision, is Christopher Mintz-Plasse ("Role Models") as Isaac. "After seeing "Superbad", it was an irresistible temptation to make Christopher the whiny, complaining son of Abraham. He just seemed perfect for the part." "When Judd Apatow and Harold Ramis offer you a part and say, here, you should play this well, I thought, I might as well do it," Mintz-Plasse explained. "I’m a huge Jack Black fan and a big Tenacious D fan, and I wanted to work with Michael again, and I wanted to work with Harold and Hank. It was great." When Isaac leads them to Sodom, Zed and Oh enter an entirely new world. An actual city built with stone and mortar, with colors, foods, sights and sounds unlike anything they’ve seen before. "Of course, it ends in Sodom," says Ramis. In Sodom, Zed and Oh meet the king, queen, princess and high priest, whose role in this new society seems to correlate to their own shaman back at their village. Ramis did not think long when looking to cast the flamboyant priest. "Oliver Platt and I had a great, great experience with "The Ice Harvest". He’s really thoughtful and comes with more ideas than any actor I’ve worked with. He forces you to really think about what he’s doing. What you get is a brave performance." Platt loved the screenplay. "Just the whole sensibility of the thing," he said. "It had a wonderful and very dry sensibility that still allowed you to believe that it all could be. There is also a certain kind of brutality in the film too, a very kind of Old Testament brutality." Platt admitted that the character was unlike anything he had tackled before. "It all fell into place when Harold told me that he wanted everyone in the royal family to do some sort of Shakespearean accent. I am doing about six different British accents,” Platt joked. It was not easy to find an actress who could hold her own opposite Jack Black. Eventually they did. "When June Raphael auditioned for Maya, she was sensational," Ramis revealed. "She has a combination of intelligence, beauty, and comedy that reminds me of Elaine May." "I think the reason Zed is so attractive to Maya is because he’s got an idea for a bigger life; there’s more to the world than their little village, says Raphael, who played Amanda in "Bride Wars". "So as frustrating as he is, she can’t give him up." For Oh’s love interest, Eema, the filmmakers turned to Juno Temple ("St Trinian's" & "Wild Child"). Ramis thought her to be "pre-Raphaelite, but I could see her as this hunter-gatherer girl. I just thought her kind of waif quality with Michael’s innocence would be a great combination, and it turned out to be true. And although Juno is British, her American accent in her audition was perfect." On the other hand, Olivia Wilde, who plays Princess Ianna, is an American who perfected an English accent. In fact, Ramis thought her accent to be authentic. "It was perfect, and then I find out she doesn’t have an English accent. It was something she perfected during the audition." Wilde, who was a regular on the television series "House", says, "Ianna is a wonderfully manipulative character. It’s great not to have to be likable." Synopsis

Take a step back in time. A long, long way back in time. Back to the year one. A time when two innocent, know-nothing Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, Zed and Oh are trying to find their way in the most primitive of civilizations. One thing's for sure, the two slackers obviously will never fit in. Zed is hopless as a hunter. Oh is hopeless as a gathere. It's inevitible that they and the rest of the tribe will part company. Kicked out of their Garden of Eden paradise, Zed and Oh begin a search to discover what life is all about. The first obstacle they must face is dodging their very upset former tribesmen who want their blood. Having done that the next one is to not travel too far. After all, they may fall off the edge when they come to the end of the world. To their amazement their journey leads them to the edge, but not the end of the world as they have been taught. Hullo world! Hullo freedom! Hullo adventure!

The Verdict "If you're a fan of Jack Black or the new generation of 'comedy' stars such as Michael Cera and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, you'll probably appreciate "Year One" far more than your run of the mill cinemagoer, who will go into this film thinking it is a riot of laughs only to be terribly disappointed because it isn't a huge laugh-fest. If you 'get' the style of humour that runs through "Year One" you will certainly find yourself amused, laughing out loud and, on a couple of occassions, having a good old belly-laugh. If you don't 'get' it, you'll find yourself, bemused, unamused and more than a little peaved. Problem is, when friends ask you about the film, you may find yourself laughing as you relate to them, the story of these two slacker, hunter and gatherers, who go on an adventure of a life time which starts in a primitive Paleolithic village and ends up in that den of iniquity, Sodom. Outstanding contributors to the fun storyline are Hank Azaria as Abraham and, Oliver Platt playing a manic, self obsessed, gay High Priest. Not for everyone, but most will just get their monies-worth out of "Year One". 3 STARS." The Production Team

Director Writters Story Producers Original Music Cinematography Film Editors Casting Production Designer Art Direction Set Decoration

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Harold Ramis Harold Ramis/Gene Stupnitsky/Lee Eisenberg Harold Ramis Judd Apatow/Clayton Townsend/Nicholas Weinstock Theodore Shapiro Alar Kivilo Craig Herring & Steve Welch Tara Duncil/Chris Gray/Jeanne McCarthy Jefferson Sage Richard Fojo Dorree Cooper

Run Time 97 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2009 - Sony Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2009 All Rights Reserved The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.