Year One

  • Review Date: June 18, 2009
  • PG-13
  • Genre: Comedy
  • 2009
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Old Testament meets old jokes in rough, unfunny comedy.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this farcical romp through the Book of Genesis -- which was originally rated R but got edited down to an edgy PG-13 -- is full of slapstick violence, crude sexual material, strong language (including "f--k"), and stereotypes. Since it stars Jack Black and Michael Cera, it's pretty clear that this isn't The Flintstones: There's lots of gross-out humor (bear feces are viewed up close, an obese hairy man gets an oil massage, a eunuch carries his removed testicles around in a small pouch, etc., etc.) and some fairly pointed mocking of the ideas and concepts of the Old Testament. Whether that adds up to ribald fun or offensive insults will depend on your perceptions.

  • Much of the movie mocks prehistoric/Old Testament-era attitudes about everything from worship to gender relations ("give her a little tap on the head -- women really respond to that"). It's clearly satirical, but it can be difficult to separate the satire from the depiction of questionable acts. There's also lots of potty humor (including one character eating feces and another peeing on his own face), extensive discussion of sex, violence, and some strong racial and gay stereotyping. It's all meant in fun, but it's regrettably not that funny.
  • Although the two main characters generally mean well, they're not really meant to be seen as role models -- Zed acts rashly and doesn't consider the consequences of his behavior, while Oh is a little too passive and often gets caught up in situations against his will. Women are frequently objectified, and characters are routinely portrayed in stereotypical fashion.
  • Scuffling, mostly for comedic purposes. Cain repeatedly beats his brother Abel with a stone, a man is speared in the shoulder, virgins are hurled into a sacrificial flame (a high priest doused with oil also wanders a little too close...), characters are stoned in public, a woman is punched in the face, characters are attacked by a cougar and a snake, a soothsayer reads bloody entrails, characters are whipped, and prisoners are hung upside down.
  • Extensive discussion of sex, sexual acts, and techniques; many jokes about "sodomy," as much of the plot takes place in the ancient city of Sodom. References to "laying with"; at one point it's implied that a character has "lain with" their mother. One character explains that she's "into girls," plus other references to homosexual acts (including between priests and boys). Also references to coerced sex, orgies, enuchs, and virginity (and its absence). Kissing, scantily clad women and men. Discussion of castration, circumcision, and more.
  • Pretty frequent strong language, including "suck," "a--hole," "ass," "f--ked the pooch," "s--t," "crap," "hell," "dick," "poop," "bastards," 'bulls--t," and more. Discussions of "sodomy."
  • Not applicable.
  • Characters drink wine and liquor and smoke pipes. References to "killer hemp."

What's the story?

In prehistoric times, hunter Zed (Jack Black) and gatherer Oh (Michael Cera) are having a tough time of it. They aren't good at their jobs, everyone in their village hates them, and life is generally nasty, brutish, and short. Exiled after Zed eats from the forbidden tree of knowledge, the two take a tour through the Book of Genesis, meeting Cain and Abel, Abraham and Issac, and even Adam (director Harold Ramis, in a nice cameo). Arriving at the ancient city of Sodom, the two get caught up in palace intrigue and must find a way to escape with their lives -- while saving the villagers who hate them from slavery and death.


Is it any good?

 

Director Ramis (Groundhog Day) may be a comedy titan, but YEAR ONE feels both slapdash and slow -- as if the film felt like it could spread out the few jokes it had by dawdling between scenes. Black and Cera are both funny insofar as they do what they normally do -- Black is wild and wacky, Cera reserved and repressed -- but the movie doesn't ask them to do much more, and the supporting players (including David Cross, Hank Azaria, Paul Rudd, and Oliver Platt) consistently steal scenes out from under the stars.

Perhaps the original, R-rated cut of Year One was funnier, but that seems unlikely; some scenes have such weak transitions that you find yourself confused by how characters got from one to the other -- and wondering what went missing in between. The plodding pace doesn't help, either -- the movie feels padded and slow and bogs down unforgivably in too many places. Year One has gags and costumes galore, but it doesn't have the snap that would make it truly funny throughout, instead of scattering a few gags against a backdrop of tedium.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the comedic appeal of putting modern characters and ideas into the ancient world -- is the point to make us laugh at the shortcomings of the past or to encourage us to look at our own era's ideas and assumptions with clearer eyes?

  • Why do you think the filmmakers chose to go
    for a PG-13 rating instead of an R? Can you sense where the edges of the film were
    smoothed down for a PG-13? How different do you think it would have
    been if it had stayed R?


This review was written by James Rocchi
Teen, 18 years old
September 8, 2010
 
SHOULD OF BEEN AN R
SHOULD OF BEEN AN R This Was A Great Movie Though !!

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Parent of 17 and 18 year old
July 9, 2009
 
The movie berates themes many feel are a matter of faith. The language is offensive. We left before getting too far into the comedy.

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Teen, 14 years old
September 4, 2010
 
some parts in this are funny,while others are just rude. some very innapropiate parts including sexual humor,funny violence and strong language.

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Teen, 14 years old
June 29, 2010
 
Unfunny and stupid movie
Very unfunny movie! I could only watch about 10 minutes of it because it was so bad. Dont waste your money of time on this stupid movie.

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Kid, 13 years old
July 27, 2010
 
This movie was alright. Most of the time they tried to make jokes they were just stupid, vulgar, and unfunny. Micheal Cera was actually funnier than Jack Black. I can't believe Micheal Cera was the funniest. Overall it was just alright. Probably for ages 11 or 12+

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Teen, 14 years old
April 7, 2010
 
Great Comedy
Very sexual movie is what i found. Very funny though. Language is frequent throughout the movie.

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Adult
March 4, 2010
 
Great for adults not for kids.
Very funny movie, even if it is corny. Definately not for young kids. Too many sexual references, but I gotta say I found it hysterical.

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Teen, 16 years old
July 1, 2009
 
Terribly bad, don't watch it.
As a Christian, I found it offensive. I wouldn't reccommend it to anyone as it has no positive message whatsoever.

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Teen, 15 years old
June 26, 2009
 
Stay Home!
This should have worked. I mean, it had an all star ensemble of very talented actors. It was even written by Harold Ramis, he made Ghostbusters for crying out loud! That just makes this dissapointing film all the more, well, dissapointing. The first couple of scenes were pretty funny, I was expecting a new Monty Python or History Of The World Pt. 1. What I did get, however, is one of the worst and most vulgar PG-13 films of the past decade (And that's no small feat). Like I said in my review of Transformers 2, if the sex jokes aren't good enough to be in an American Pie film, then they aren't good enough to exist, period. That statement applys perhaps more to this movie than TF2. That said, I don't recommend this film for teens not just because it's VERY vulgar, but because it's nothing more than an unfunny SNL skit stretched out for 90 minutes. One historical spoof I DO recommend is Monty Python & The Holy Grail

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Teen, 14 years old
July 17, 2010
 
Eh.
It would be offensive...but I found it funny. "Hi, my name is Able." "No! Your name is Suck!"

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This review was written by James Rocchi
Studio:Sony Pictures
Director:Harold Ramis
Cast:Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde
Genre:Comedy
Run time:97 minutes
Theatrical release date:June 19, 2009
DVD release date:October 6, 2009
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:crude and sexual content throughout, brief strong language and comic violence

This review was written by James Rocchi
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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