No room for error for comedians

As audiences, we put a lot of pressure on comedians, and we seem to have more invested in their success. It’s the reason why we are all so frustrated that Eddie Murphy keeps making junk. We know he’s funny, and we want him to live up to his talents.

But it’s the law of averages that big-name comedy stars will produce small results once in a while. We might be willing to forgive them, as long as it’s not the norm.

‘LAND OF THE LOST’

I’m not sure what Will Ferrell and Universal were thinking when they decided to bring LAND OF THE LOST (PG-13, * 1/2 stars) to the big screen. Too juvenile for adults and too mature for kids, with relatively obscure source material, this film fell right into no-man’s land and became the first big flop of summer.

Most of the blame has to fall on Ferrell, whose aggrieved man-child shtick normally works wonders but is tonally wrong here. He appears to be channeling some energy from an entirely different film.

Ferrell plays Dr. Rick Marshall, a loudmouth scientist who has been reduced to the fringes of academia after his theories have been debunked – by Today Show host Matt Lauer, no less. But when he meets up with a big fan (Anna Friel) who goads him into attempting a risky experiment, they, along with a belligerent tour guide (Danny McBride), find themselves sucked into a parallel universe.

There they meet up with a race called the Sleestaks, and one in particular, Chaka (Jorma Taccone), tags along with the trio as they navigate through this mixed-up world.

Not that many laughs follow. Again, this film has a definite identity crisis. The commercials made it seem like a family special effects romp in the vein of “Night at the Museum,” but it’s way too sophisticated (and crude) for younger audiences.

It says something when Lauer delivers the biggest laughs in your movie.

This is a failure on so many levels, from Ferrell’s dislikable character to the $100 million budget. It’s no surprise that this film was one of the major reasons Universal recently fired its studio chiefs.

I have no doubt that Ferrell will find another winning vehicle for his talents, but this was a rare misstep for one of the biggest comics working today.

‘YEAR ONE’

Both Jack Black and Michael Cera are an acquired taste – the former for his manic energy and the latter for his laconic lassitude – so putting them together in a film seems to me like a risky move.

But when the film is as bad as YEAR ONE (PG-13, *), I’m not sure any pairing would have been able to save this mess of biblical proportions.

A mix of Bill and Ted and Mel Brooks’ “History of the World,” this movie squanders so many talented people, you have to wonder if they thought they were making something hilarious, only to be shocked when this was a critical and commercial disappointment.

Zed (Black) and Oh (Cera) are the two bottom-feeders of their prehistoric tribe – failures in both hunting and gathering. And when Zed eats the forbidden fruit, both are banished from the village and sent out into the wild.

There, they cross paths with Cain (David Cross) and Abel (Paul Rudd), Abraham (Harold Ramis), the king of Sodom (Oliver Platt), and other notable Biblical figures.

Our heroes lurch from episode to laugh-free episode with all the subtlety of a club to the head. It’s painful to watch people flop around in search of a laugh. I’m generous when it comes to comedy, but I think I laughed about two times here.

Ramis, who also wrote and directed this disaster, is a comedy legend, but he’s sullied his reputation with this pile of dung. Cross is supremely annoying as Cain, and even great character actors like Xander Berkeley are wasted.

As for Black and Cera, they both do their thing, either trying to overpower or underplay the tepid material. Neither option works.

‘OBSERVE AND REPORT’

Saying OBSERVE AND REPORT (R, ***) is a comedy is like saying “The Godfather” is a film about family.

“Observe” is the blackest of black comedies, a film that requires us to root for a mentally unstable person in a world filled with deviants. It is not a warm and fuzzy film, and it certainly doesn’t come close to the other “mall cop” movie released earlier this year.

Seth Rogen stars as Ronnie, the head of security at a mall where a serial flasher has been terrorizing shoppers. Ronnie rules the mall with an iron fist, and when the police are brought in to investigate, he takes umbrage at the intrusion by a detective (Ray Liotta).

From there, the film chronicles Ronnie’s quest to beat the police and solve the case, while at the same time trying to win the girl of his dreams (Anna Faris, in a very solid performance). Now, Ronnie is not all there, and as the film progresses, he begins to spiral further out of control.

No, this is not your standard studio comedy, and I remain shocked that Warner Bros. put its money and marketing machine behind a comedy with a protagonist who lives to dole out violence to those who have wronged him (and his mall).

Rogen’s performance here is an eye-opener, and a far cry from his goofy, stoner roles. He’s not afraid to show all Ronnie’s flaws and fears. It’s the kind of acting that deserves accolades but will be ignored when it comes to award season.

If you’re willing to be challenged by comedy, I heartily recommend this one. It may not be easy to take, but it is funny in a sick sort of way.

The Video Guy is Elliott Smith, a former Olympian reporter who lives in Seattle. He can be reached at ejsteeler@hotmail.com