WHAT do you call a comedy without a single laugh?

The punchline is: Harold Ramis’s ramshackle road movie through the Paleolithic era headlined by Jack Black and Michael Cera, two of the most gifted comic actors of their generations.

Black is an unstoppable force of nature, who brought his nervous energy to light up High Fidelity, The School Of Rock and Kung Fu Panda.

Cera adopts a more laid- back, laconic delivery that perfectly suited Juno and Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

But put the actors side-by- side in Year One as hunter- gatherers with a nose for adventure, and the results are painful.

Producer extraordinaire Judd Apatow’s recent winning streak, which included hits such as The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, comes to an inglorious end with Year One.

Foolishly, the script begins at the dawn of mankind and merrily incorporates Biblical references, which beg unfavourable comparisons with Life Of Brian.

Monty Python’s film may be 30 years old, but it boasts more chuckles and guffaws in the opening five minutes than Year One can muster in its lifeless entirety.

YEAR ONE (Cert. 12A, 96 mins)
Stars: Jack Black, Michael Cera, June Raphael, Juno Temple, Oliver Platt, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Vinnie Jones, David Cross, Paul Rudd
Directed by Harold Ramis