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Oh Harold Ramis, for too long you have been an unsung comedy god. From 1976 to 1984 the guy had one of the most insane streaks any comedic filmmaker has ever had. He created SCTV, co-wrote Animal House, co-wrote Meatballs, co-wrote and directed Caddyshack, co-wrote and starred in Stripes, directed National Lampoon’s Vacation, and co-wrote and starred in Ghostbusters. To make things even more impressive the guy did it all in a row without a single misstep and still had Groundhog Day to give us as a writer/director. Ramis pretty well changed mainstream comedy, bringing the Second City style of unpredictable improv based comedy to Hollywood with his classic slobs vs. snobs flicks. But because he did it all from behind the camera (minus his iconic portrayal of Egon of course), he doesn’t have the brand name recognition that he deserves and that’s just a shame.

So we come to the release of Year One, a film that should be touted as a return to big time comedy for Harold Ramis after a few years off, but is instead being sold entirely on the faces of Jack Black and Michael Cera. That’s fine. Those guys are stars and bring their beloved comic performances to the movie, but what makes it special is the Ramis touch. The man specializes in dumb comedy with a brain (Animal House might be primarily remembered for all the binge drinking and food fights, but there’s actually some pretty damn subversive commentary going on beneath the beer-soaked surface) and Year One fits comfortably into his cannon. The film has the same loose iprov-based structure of Caddyshack, with narrative taking a back seat to combining big comedic talents in hilarious sketches suited to their skills.

Of course, that’s not to say that the movie has nothing going on beyond the laughs. Far from it, the film is actually a pretty clever critique of society and religion. We start with Jack Black and Michael Cera as the original slackers: two cavemen who neither function as hunters or gatherers. After pissing off everyone in their tribe, the pair set out on a journey that sees them stumbling into a variety of characters and locations from the Old Testament, including Cain and Abel, Isaac and Abraham, and of course the rollicking good times of Sodom (cue a variety of sodomy jokes). The movie uses these settings and characters as a loose allegory for our society, criticizing the inherently corrupt nature of politicians and religion, and preaching individuality as the way to live. It’s pretty clever message and while at times it feels crammed in between jokes, it does give the film a little intelligent content to compliment the belly laughs.

Sure, there’s intelligent subtext going on, but lets face facts. People are only going to buy tickets for this flick for the laughs and fortunately Year One delivers. Jack Black and Michael Cera star in roles that were clearly written to their strengths. Black plays a wild man Neanderthal role that’s so perfect for his persona, it’s shocking nobody ever thought of it before. Cera of course plays his standard befuddled and awkward youngster who gets by thanks to intelligence and a gentle humor routed in impossible innocence. Their clashing personalities work perfectly together, allowing them to flip flop from straight man to funny man for each other with ease.