Year One
It's back to basics for Jack Black - though come to think of it, I'm not sure he ever put the basics behind him.
The first thing he does here is throw a spear into the back of a fellow hunter, claim innocence, then blame the victim for “blocking his shot”. By now it’s clear that Year One has no pretensions towards historical accuracy (it’s about as accurate as Jack’s spear throwing). He may be a Neanderthal, intellectually speaking, but Black – or “Zed” – speaks with the half-smart self-centeredness of today’s aging slacker generation. Like virtually every Jack Black character since the dawn of time, Zed believes he’s destined for greatness, and he’s doing his best to squash the suspicion that life is passing him by.
He does know enough to feel the need to break the tribe’s one golden rule, and taste the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge… He thinks it will boost his brain power and finally put him on the right path. He’s nearly half right. The stunt gets him exiled, and he’s forced to fend for himself in the world, with only his rather puny and pathetic sidekick Oh (Michael Cera) for company.
Cast details
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Jack Black
Born: 28 Aug 1969
Hermosa Beach, CaliforniaTop rated films View all Kung Fu Panda - BLU-RAY Version (2008) 
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Top rated films View all Arrested Development - Series 3 
Inexplicably, their wanderings take them forward several millennia, into the Old Testament. First they stumble across Cain (David Cross) killing his brother Abel (Paul Rudd), repeatedly. Then they wash up in the desert in the nick of time to save Isaac’s neck (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) from his zealous father’s knife – though his foreskin is another story.
Co-written and directed by comedy veteran Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters; Groundhog Day), Year One is little more than a series of juvenile skits dressed up in toga party glad rags. Sorely lacking the anarchic edge that Monty Python brought to The Life of Brian and the sheer chutzpah of Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part One, Year One is more akin to one of those old Bob Hope, Bing Crosby jaunts… Two guys bicker and banter in exotic climes, hopping from scrape to scrape without ever exhausting the bottom of the barrel. Inevitably Zed and Oh find themselves on the Road to Sodom, where Oliver Platt’s plummy High Priest orchestrates chest-rubbing orgies in the afternoon then presides over human sacrifices in the evening. It is in Sodom that the boys will prove their manhood, fnar-fnar.
Jack Black’s manic over-reacher and Cera’s shy mumbler compliment each other well enough, in theory, but at 39 Black is old enough to be his father. It’s a big age gap for a comedy duo and they never quite mesh or convince as bosom buddies, even if they’re fairly amusing separately.
Jack Black and Michael Cera
Among the supporting cast, only Hank Azaria’s fundamentalist Abraham really seizes on the possibilities of the Holy Land setting; he and Platt deliver the goods, too many others just seem to have dropped by to hang out for a day or two on set. Typically, in this Apatow era of American comedy, the women get particularly short-shrift. They include Juno Temple (presumably cast on the strength of her name alone) as Oh’s designated lust-object, June Diane Raphael as Zed’s, and Olivia Wilde as, well, Zed’s bit of royal on the side.
Relentlessly – or if you prefer, shamelessly, juvenile, with fart jokes, shit jokes, and pee jokes vying with sex jokes and gay jokes for top spot – Year One is so ridiculously silly it’s hard to be offended by it. I giggled now and then, but if there were belly laughs they were exclusively concerned with Jack Black’s protruding stomach, and not particularly funny for the rest of us.
Bearing the tell-tale scars of slash-and-burn post-market testing editing – several early scenes just hit a brick wall – Year One isn’t an out and out disaster, just another feeble comedy that never finds its rhythm or builds up a head of steam. It was probably a lot more fun to make than it is to watch, but we’ll have to take that on trust – even the outtakes played alongside the end credits fall flat (-ulent).
Reviews
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Black and Cera have something else in common: They are both very skilled, very precise comedians. In the case of Black, this is well known, and in the case of Cera, it's no surprise, considering his performance in 'Superbad'. Still, it's a striking thing to find a 21-year-old actor with such self-assurance, such innate timing and such a thorough understanding of himself as a screen entity […]'Year One' [...] it's always lively. After 30 years of writing and sometimes directing some very fine comedies ('Groundhog Day', 'Analyze This', 'Caddyshack', 'Ghostbusters', 'Animal House', 'Stripes'), Ramis knows exactly what it takes to hold an audience's attention in comedy. Every character is made vivid and absurd
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An enjoyably dumb comedy […] The film is blessed by its lead actors. Jack Black, playing an inept boar hunter, continues to draw dividends from his crazy-eyed-visionary thing, while his character’s buddy, Oh, flourishes in Cera’s neuroticism.
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Set at the dawn of humanity (sort of), a time of hunter-gatherers, peasant farmers and idol-worshipping Sodomites,... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
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39 out of 41 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
superb..............................
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14 out of 14 people found this review helpful
Dissapointing
Was really looking forward to seeing this but didn't find it very funny at all. The plot drags on in parts and is just silly in parts. Watch something that is actually funny instead...
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13 out of 13 people found this review helpful
So Painful!
I was so looking forward to this film when I went to the cinema. I normally love Jack Black films, but this was so painfully crass and so unfunny. The lack of continuity during the scene was entertaining though (watch Jack's hair parting). Definitely not one I'll be renting.
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Most recent members' reviews (2)
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Year One
I found this film really dull. I think I only laughed twice in the whole film! Very disappointing as I normally enjoy funny films.
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- Natz1987 from Sowerby Bridge
- Posted 18 Nov 2009 22:28
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14 out of 14 people found this review helpful
Dissapointing
Was really looking forward to seeing this but didn't find it very funny at all. The plot drags on in parts and is just silly in parts. Watch something that is actually funny instead...
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39 out of 41 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
superb..............................
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14 out of 14 people found this review helpful
Dissapointing
Was really looking forward to seeing this but didn't find it very funny at all. The plot drags on in parts and is just silly in parts. Watch something that is actually funny instead...
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13 out of 13 people found this review helpful
So Painful!
I was so looking forward to this film when I went to the cinema. I normally love Jack Black films, but this was so painfully crass and so unfunny. The lack of continuity during the scene was entertaining though (watch Jack's hair parting). Definitely not one I'll be renting.
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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Better Than Monty Python's 'Life Of Brian'
In comparison to the 'Life Of Brian' which I found relatively dull, 'Year One' was a pleasant surprise. Plenty of laughs (however be warned, most of them cringeworthy!), the story follows two cavemen who belong to the group of hunters/gatherers. When Jack Black's character is banished from the village for eating an apple from the 'Forbidden Tree Of Knowledge', both him and his friend (Michael Cera) set off on an epic journey through the evolving ancient world, meeting plenty of biblical characters along the way...
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Not a complete waste of time...
Ive seen alot of Jack Black films and i'm sure alot of people will agree when i say that he rarely breaks the boundaries acting wise. However, what he does he does well.
This is a typical Jack Black film with plenty of well placed gags and slapstick acting. It's easy to watch but lacks any solid story line, sadly this can leave you waiting for the next funny joke instead of actually paying much attention to the plot.
Much like Jack, Michael Cera limits himself acting wise and sticks to his usual awkward, quivering, nervous, teen comfort-zone which we have seen him master in Superbad and Juno, among others. This does work alongside Jack Black very well, but still, its hard to relate with any of the films characters when most of them have all done far better and funnier films.
One to watch when there is nothing better available. Definately not one to own.
Andi
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- andiscottshaw from Peterborough
- Posted 04 Nov 2009 20:47
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Nothing Special!
This film, like any other Jack Black film has no good storyline, just laughs! But I would have asked for my money back if it wasn't for Michael Cera, a young and new actor which is also in 'Superbad', everything he says in 'Year One' will make you giggle!
6/10
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- zachawizzle from Neston
- Posted 12 Jul 2009 22:17
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
ok
this is just like the film 10,000 bc but more homours and funny action nothing to great but you laugh all through the film
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Disappointing
Very disappointing film given the calibre of people involved. Expecting so much more from Harold Ramis, especially after watching Ghostbusters recently.
Overall, I did not find the material very funny, the jokes that do work are in the trailer anyway. I suggest you watch the trailer instead and save yourself an hour and a half of your life. -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Rubbish
I had the opportunity to see this in the cinema which i am grateful now that I passed it up.
I am a huge fan of comedies as my sense of humor is that I am easily amused but while watching Year One I can honestly say I never really laughed. There are a few jokes but nothing new. The film was dare I say it boring.
There where alot of big stars that make an appearance other than Black and Cera such as: Oliver Platt (Lake Placid, Three Musketeers), David Cross (Arrested Development series), Hank Azaria (Night At The Museum 2), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Role Models, Superbad) and Vinnie Jones (Mean Machine, Loaded). Also Paul Rudd (Role Models) makes a cameo appearance.
The dvd comes with a choice of the theatrical version and an uncut version. I only watched the uncut version so I am unable to tell you what the difference is. Having both versions was a nice touch on the disc and there is also a few special features (which I didn't check out). I rated this film 1.5/5 because of the dvd containing both versions.
My recommendation would be to rent this film if you are wanting to see what it is like. -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Terrible
This film was absolutely dire. There was barely any comedy and i actually turned off after 30 minutes through boredom.
Would have given it 0 stars if i could have.
Critics' reviews (3)
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Black and Cera have something else in common: They are both very skilled, very precise comedians. In the case of Black, this is well known, and in the case of Cera, it's no surprise, considering his performance in 'Superbad'. Still, it's a striking thing to find a 21-year-old actor with such self-assurance, such innate timing and such a thorough understanding of himself as a screen entity […]'Year One' [...] it's always lively. After 30 years of writing and sometimes directing some very fine comedies ('Groundhog Day', 'Analyze This', 'Caddyshack', 'Ghostbusters', 'Animal House', 'Stripes'), Ramis knows exactly what it takes to hold an audience's attention in comedy. Every character is made vivid and absurd
-
An enjoyably dumb comedy […] The film is blessed by its lead actors. Jack Black, playing an inept boar hunter, continues to draw dividends from his crazy-eyed-visionary thing, while his character’s buddy, Oh, flourishes in Cera’s neuroticism.
-
Set at the dawn of humanity (sort of), a time of hunter-gatherers, peasant farmers and idol-worshipping Sodomites,... read more on Time Out