Year One

[Lazy Boy]

http://themovingpicture.net/wp-content/uploads/year_one_poster.jpg

Directed by Harold Ramis

Written by Harold Ramis, Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg

Genre: Comedy

Tagline: Meet Your Ancestors

Plot: A pair of lazy hunter-gatherers embark on a wild journey through the ancient world after being banished from their primitive village.

Starring: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Oliver Platt, David Cross, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Vinnie Jones, Olivia Wilde

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, brief strong language and comic violence.

Runtime: 97 minutes

I smell another bomb. It's too bad, 'cause I think Ramis made some good comedies in the past.

[ilovemovies]

Looks pretty funny to me.

[Tweek]

What happened to ya, Ramis? :(

I pass.

[ericdraven]

Took three guys to write it.

I pass on this

[jolanar]

This looks like one of those films where all the funny parts are in the trailers. Who knows though it could surprise me. It really feels like Jack Black has just been phoning it in over the past couple years, and while Michael Cera does have a certain awkward charisma to him it's not really enough to fill a whole film with.

[detective mills]

This doesn't look funny at all. You never know with comedies though. I'll wait and see how it's received, but I don't see this being very good at all.

[xseanymacx]

Really wish this was rated R.

[Abbie Normal]

Is it just me or does Michael Cera look like he escaped from a twink movie set? I think he is just a talentless hack. When is his 15 mins up? With that said, it looks funny.

[Strider]

This looks like one of those films where all the funny parts are in the trailers.

I hope that's not the case. I do think Year One looks funny (not to mention I like Ramis) and I'll check it out, but the statement above could very well be true.

Strider

[Dom Shady]

This looks like one of those films where all the funny parts are in the trailers. Who knows though it could surprise me. It really feels like Jack Black has just been phoning it in over the past couple years, and while Michael Cera does have a certain awkward charisma to him it's not really enough to fill a whole film with.

except the trailers weren't even funny either....I like Jack Black, like Michael Cera, like Harold Ramis but I won't be watching this one anytime soon

[bigred760]

Movie doesn't look good, funny, or original. Didn't laugh very much at the trailers or the TV spots. Harold Ramis just needs to get back with Bill Murray and make funny movies again.

[ElderPredator]

You know something, the trailers would be funny if they would just cut out Michael Cera. I'm being honest here, that guy has absolutely no talent whatsoever as he plays the same miserable, flat and confused kid in every single film he does. Seriously, what is the difference in his characters between "Superbad", "Juno" and "Year One"......absolutely fucking NOTHING!

Jack Black on the other hand is very funny so I hope he cancels Cera out.

BTW, I can't believe Ramis directed this. This is the same man who directed "Caddyshack" which is arguably the greatest comedy film of all-time. I barely even chuckled during the trailers.

[echo_bravo]

Harold Ramis just needs to get back with Bill Murray and make funny movies again.

AGREED 1000000%

Why this hasnt happened yet is beyond me.:confused:

[razgriz21]

Harold Ramis directed and co-wrote this?!

For some reason, I'm not laughing or even snickering at the featured scenes on the site.

[BlownCamaro]

I was wanting to go see it but the clips on joblo made me not want to. I will rent this.

[Abbie Normal]

You know something, the trailers would be funny if they would just cut out Michael Cera. I'm being honest here, that guy has absolutely no talent whatsoever as he plays the same miserable, flat and confused kid in every single film he does. Seriously, what is the difference in his characters between "Superbad", "Juno" and "Year One"......absolutely fucking NOTHING!

Jack Black on the other hand is very funny so I hope he cancels Cera out.

BTW, I can't believe Ramis directed this. This is the same man who directed "Caddyshack" which is arguably the greatest comedy film of all-time. I barely even chuckled during the trailers.

People on this site love him for his work on Arrested Development. I also think he is talentless. I bet he even climaxes boring.

[drc5145]

What worries me is that Gene Stupinsky and Lee Eisenberg, writes of this movie, are also writing Ghostbusters 3. :(

And Harold Ramis is considering directing it himself, which isn't necessarily a bad idea but I always thought either Ivan Reitman or his son, Jason Reitman should be directing.

[anakinsrise]

You know something, the trailers would be funny if they would just cut out Michael Cera. I'm being honest here, that guy has absolutely no talent whatsoever as he plays the same miserable, flat and confused kid in every single film he does. Seriously, what is the difference in his characters between "Superbad", "Juno" and "Year One"......absolutely fucking NOTHING!


Thanks for making me laugh this morning

[Z_oasis]

Saw this for fun last night, a friend works at the theatre and didnt want to watch this shit movie alone. It was really that bad in my opinion. Like the review said, the side characters are really funny (Hank Azaria, David Cross and Oliver Platt) but the main characters JB n MC are their stereotypical selves but 20 times extreme. Like it got old after 20 minutes, especially Cera. WOW. I havent seen an actor have as much depth as a foot print puddle. I dont get his humor (which are quick quiet obvious quips that...get old...fast)

I thought Harold Ramis could do WAY better than this. It very out of place. Watching it was like watching a movie my drunk buddies made with their Hi-8 video camera one night

2/5

[MidnightAngel]

Really wish this was rated R.

It was originally R rated when it was shown to the MPAA to be rated but the studios executives wanted to be reedited so it would earn a PG-13 rating but i guess that won't help anyway.

[Bourne101]

Year One - 4/10

Just really, really stupid. I was quite looking forward to it as I dig most of Jack Black's stuff and he always cracks me up. Unfortunately, there are FAR too many that fall flat. There was a scene where Paul Rudd's character gets a rock slammed in his face like 50 times and it went on for like 5 minutes... it just wasn't funny. The film had potential with all of the talent involved, but it just didn't work out. The screenplay is really at fault here. Lines that don't work, scenes that don't work, lengthy periods of time without any funny jokes. I did dig the bloopers at the end though, especially the one when they are filming and the sound of a train is heard in the background. Unfortunately the bloopers are funnier than the actual movie. Skip it.

[SpikeDurden]

Yeah. I thought that like Land of the Lost, even though the critics didn't dig it, I would. I like Jack Black, love Michael Cera, and have a huge respect for Harold Ramis, but this movie was just a weak mess. The jokes are just incredibly stale and old and the movie feels sloppy and has no momentum. It feels really slapped together, like they didn't even try. A waste of time, and my least favorite movie of the year. I even got more enjoyment out of Dragonball and Paul Blart. Yep, you heard me.

3/10

[Bourne101]

Yeah. I thought that like Land of the Lost, even though the critics didn't dig it, I would.

Yeah, hopefully Land of the Lost works out for me similarly to how it did for you. Haven't seen it yet (definitely going to soon though), but I am still looking forward to it even with the crappy reviews. Hopefully I don't have the same experience as I had with Year One where I was looking forward to it even with the crappy reviews, but it ended up being just as bad as the reviews had claimed.

[Dr.Frankenstein]

Jack Black was gr8 in the film! and Michael Cera is a likable kid -I thought he did what he could with his basically "walk though" character role here.Hank Azaria (this actor is proving to be quite versatile)as Abraham was gr8! Very interesting take on the old Biblical world and a few of its characters-lack luster finish though -something cool could have closed the film-but, didn't....** outta 5 stars.

[spacemonkey]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0c/Year_one.jpg

Title: Year One (2009)

Director: Harold Ramis (a.k.a. Egon from The Ghostbusters)

My thoughts on this one: Well, Im a huge fan of Life of Brian which is to me, one of the greatest anti-religion, anti-opressive goverment movies ever made. And up front I'll let you guys know that Year One used Life of Brian as its blue print, so keep that in mind. At times it even felt like a remake of it, which is a great thing in my book. This felt like the "dumb" american version of Life of Brian. Even though this movie has gotten some negative buzz because it gets too silly, I get the impression that its just over zealots out there afraid that this movies message gets out there. So they automatically bash it cause they cant have this kind of message getting any kind of support. If you ask me, I thought the movie was quite fun.

But I will say this, not everyone will find this movie fun. This movie is made for those who know a little thing or two about the bibles fairytales, um, I mean parables. Those of you who dont know Abraham of the bible from Abraham Van Helsing just wont get the jokes in this film. Cause you see what this movie does so well, same as Life of Brian and Mel Brooks History of the World did before it, is take the bible stories and put them in a funny context.

But heres where things get great, in the midst of all the joking around,theres some criticizing of the bible tales, theres some pointing out of a couple of the things in the bible that just seem wrong. For example Abraham killing his son cause "god told him to" or the ridiculous story of the "tree of knowledge"...I loved how Jack Blacks characters starts asking just what is it about this tree that makes it so "forbidden"?? The symbolism of course being that what is forbidden of the tree of knowledge is the actual knowledge. Knowing too much isnt what the people in power (read: the ones that invented religion) want the general population to have. Hence: the tree of knowledge is "forbidden".

From their on in, Jack Black character is on a quest for his purpose in life. He starts philosophizing and questioning everything. So basically, this movie is a film made for that kind of person, the questioning philosophers. The ones who always ask WHY? and HOW? And SAYS WHO?! :) So this was the big attraction for me with this movie. But Im also excited as to what a religious person will think of this kind of film, of course theyll curse it and ask you to boycott it and what not.

The cast was interesting but had a couple of bad choices. I dont get why they keep putting this Cera guy in funny movies? He aint a comedian, he doesnt really have what it takes to be truly funny? Okay, they put him there to play the straight guy to Blacks crazy guy. I get that. I just think the movie could have worked so much better had they put an actually funny guy in the movie. Whats up with that? I mean, how hard could it have been to put an actual comedian next to black? No more Cera in comedies please. Though, his "playing dumb" shtick didnt really bother me this time around, he was kind of just playing along. Hank Azaria is cool as always, I keep wondering why he's never gotten his own movie? He should find the proper character for him and develop it, Im sure something good would come out of it. Or maybe his just great at playing secondary characters? Either case, Azaria is a good thing on any comedy. Paul Rudd doing the least important role (more of a cameo really) on this, kind of wasted if you ask me. McLovin seemed kind of out of place on this one though. Harold Raimis plays an aging Adam. As in Adam an Eve.

Is it silly? Sure, its a comedy. It stars Jack Black. He eats shit in the movie. They make all sort racy jokes. But then again, a movie like this HAS to be silly. Its the only way that a message like this one can be thrown onto the masses without them realizing it. People are going to be expecting a regular run of the mill silly summer comedy and what theyll get is a film that might make em think about a thing or two. A movie that ask the question "maybe god doesnt exist?" and maybe we can be the rulers of our own destiny. You guys should have heard the silence in the movie theater when Michael Cera's character says "maybe God doesnt exist", it was like a quiet bomb fell in the theater. But its not really what the movie is saying. Its not saying God doesnt exist because at one point when Cain kills Abel a lightning bolt falls from heaven and marks Cain in the forehead, which according to the bible, was god, marking Cain as an outcast. No, it aint saying "theres no god!" The movie is more about showing how silly religion really is, and about how we dont need to follow anybody but our own selves. You know, same as that scene in Life of Brian where Brian says to all his blind followers "You need to figure it out for yourselves!". Thats essentially the crux of this film.

And this is probably why this movie wont make all that cash. But who knows, maybe people are getting wiser, and waking up from the matrix. Maybe they might give the ideas 'hidden' within the jokes a chance. Hell, they burn the religious leader in this film and suddenly everything is okay! Thats saying something! A gutsy movie that many will shun simply because of its subject matter.

Rating: 3 out of 5

[PreySlayDisplay]

Not nearly as bad as the critics are making it out to be, but definitely far from great. Jack Black and Michael Cera make an alright comedic pair, but Cera's style is starting to wear me down a bit. After three movies of basically the same character, I'm ready to see him do something else. I also got tired of all the desperate gross-out jokes.

6/10

[bsquared318]

In a nutshell, “Year One” is nothing more than an update of “Monty Python’s Life of Brian.” Only, there’s one major difference: it isn’t funny. It tries too hard to make us laughing, praying (and I use that word lightly here) that Jack Black eating bear poop and Michael Cera are rubbing oil all over a hairy man’s chest is worth the price of admission.

Zed (Black) is the outcast of his village. He fails at hunting and can’t gather food well either. Since these jobs are the only things to be done for a living in a village of sixty, he’s pretty much worthless, becoming even more so when he breaks the only rule in the village: eating the forbidden fruit. Without any further hesitation, he is banned from the village, joined by his friend named Oh (Cera). The duo set out on an epic journey, meeting up Biblical figures like Cain, his brother Abel, Abraham and Isaac. They also take a trip to Sodom, because even back in early times all men cared about was how to get some.

It’s quite obvious from the beginning that both Biblical and historical inaccuracy is something the film almost seems to pride itself on. The tree from which Zed ate the forbidden fruit is almost certainly supposed to be the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, but then why are the apples golden and shiny like something out of a Greek mythology story? Furthermore, why isn’t the tree in the Garden of Eden? How is it that Cain’s family and Abraham’s family were alive at the same time. Did we just forget that Adam and Eve were Cain and Abel’s parents? If this is supposed to be literally year one, then is it B.C. or A.D.? Either way, none of it still makes any sense. How is this movie supposed to make the slightest bit of sense if the title isn’t even right?

Remember those plays you would do in school where you made a play using the characters from the book that you read? They never made any logical sense, and were often an insult to the original work. That’s just what “Year One” is: a shockingly lose interpretation of the Bible. Don’t get me wrong, it has some funny moments. I must admit that I found some of the blasphemous material quite amusing and clever. Black and Cera are perfect together, though there wasn’t a single time that I didn’t see their character instead of their name with a dollar sign next to it.

Furthermore, there wasn’t anything original or funny about any of the humor, which relied mostly on crude on vulgar humor. Circumcision, farts, and sex jokes dominate more than three-quarters of the film, with the rest spent on rewriting scripture. There’s even a statue in the Holy of Holies whose fate is not much different from the statue in “The Goonies.” The constant raging hormones and never-ending sex jokes made me feel like I had just set my mental age back at least five or ten years. If you must see this film, then rent it. It’s not worth the price of admission, even if the film thinks it is.

2/10