 | 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. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Year One
- Review Date: June 18, 2009
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2009
Common Sense Media says
Old Testament meets old jokes in rough, unfunny comedy.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
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.
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.
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?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
SHOULD OF BEEN AN R
SHOULD OF BEEN AN R
This Was A Great Movie Though !!
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AGE
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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AGE
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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AGE
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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AGE
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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AGE
Great Comedy
Very sexual movie is what i found. Very funny though. Language is frequent throughout the movie.
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AGE
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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AGE
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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AGE
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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AGE
Eh.
It would be offensive...but I found it funny. "Hi, my name is Able." "No! Your name is Suck!"
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| 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 |
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