The problem is not the historicity, or lack thereof, in a comedy, but the uneven pace of the humor.
Comment
12/06/09
Year One (2009)
15
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:151
Fresh:23
Rotten:128
Average Rating:3.9/10
Consensus: Year One is a poorly executed, slapdash comedy in which the talent both in front of and behind the camera never seem to be on the same page.
Theatrical Release:Jun 19, 2009 Wide
Box Office: $43,337,279
Synopsis: When a couple of lazy hunter-gatherers (Jack Black and Michael Cera) are banished from their primitive village, they set off on an epic journey through the ancient world in Columbia Pictures'... [More]
Starring: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Oliver Platt, David Cross
Director: Harold Ramis
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Reviews for Year One
Producer Judd Apatow has gone from comedy gourmand to McDonald-izing in four years. And when in doubt, director Harold Ramis makes Jack Black eat his own feces and Michael Cera pee in his own mouth. Yes, this is at the level of YouTube monkey comedy.
12/03/09
This one is destined to take its place alongside films like Evan Almighty and Wholly Moses!.
10/10/09
The only thing that can be mustered up for the whole sorry enterprise is pity.
10/09/09
As underwhelming as its buzz might have indicated...
10/07/09
If there's anything sadder than an unfunny comedy, it's an unfunny comedy that tacks on an equally unfunny blooper reel over the closing credits.
08/31/09
[Year One] feels lazy: There's no cheap joke Mr. Ramis and company didn't go for, no gag-worthy gag they didn't include.
08/30/09
If there is any justice in the world, there will never be a Year Two.
08/11/09
... a near-total disappointment... it never manages to sustain any momentum from joke to joke or scene to scene or even shot to shot at times.
08/01/09
Boy, does this stink - and I mean almost literally.
07/15/09
Even more embarrassing considering the talent involved. Where art thou Monty Python?
07/15/09
The film is lumpy and self-conscious, the dialogue not very witty.
07/10/09
‘Year One’ wants to be seen as a freeform, knockabout trawl through Biblical history, perfect for an undemanding Saturday night. There are only two problems: it’s kind of dull and just isn’t funny.
07/03/09
All hail Michael Cera, worker of unprecedented movie miracles! The 21-year-old Canadian comic takes a weak concept and some weaker material and, wherever possible, adds some much needed flashes of comedic genius.
07/03/09
Too silly to be smart, too timid to be subversive about religion — it’s hard to believe it’s directed and co-written by the once great Harold Ramis
07/03/09
Made with such laziness of invention that everyone involved deserves a whack on the head with a club.
07/03/09
This gambit is a catastrophic failure. Cera’s loveable puppy-dog schtick is already tired, and Black can no longer carry a dud with likeability and energy alone. As for Ramis, well, perhaps he’s not the Messiah after all.
07/03/09
Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that a comedy about a couple of cavemen trades in primitive humour, still it's tough to imagine even the most monkey-brained of filmgoers getting a kick out of Year One.
07/03/09
Twenty times longer than its (excellent) trailer, and with about the same number of decent jokes, this underachieving effort boasts another brilliant Michael Cera performance, plus Jack Black licking a turd. Or is he polishing it?
07/03/09
A script this lousy should never have gone into production, and should have been abandoned as soon as anyone with any influence witnessed the rushes. The final result is a disgrace to everyone involved. Please God, let there be no Year Two.
07/03/09
Latest News for Year One
June 20, 2009:
Crude cavemen encounter Biblical events in raunchy road comedy. 
More...
June 19, 2009:
The Friday Harvest: This Week's Best Pictures, Posters, and Video
Happy Friday Harvest, a weekly round-up of the best pictures, posters, and videos that have become available for viewing/download on Rotten Tomatoes. Each section features the... More...
June 18, 2009:
Black's biggest idiot in the village, overly flirty heathen turned moronic messiah tries to hunt and gather copious hairy bodied babes who really know how to stroke their spears, while a shackled Cera pees upside down through his collar.
More...
June 18, 2009:
Box Office Guru Preview: Proposal and Year One Bring More Laughs
Five of the top six films are comedies right now but Hollywood believes that's not enough so two new laughers open on Friday to give moviegoers even more options. Sandra Bullock... More...
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