Year One

Critics 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.

14%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 173

23%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 336,914
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Movie Info

Jack Black and Michael Cera headline Harold Ramis' Biblical comedy about a pair of misfit hunter-gatherers who embark on a wild journey through the ancient world after being banished from their primitive village. Zed (Black) and Oh (Cera) may lack in the skills that their chieftain is looking for, but they have plans to make it big. Zed has a gut feeling that God has "chosen" him, and so he leads his buddy on a trip through the unknown countryside in search of bigger and better things, bumping into several weird characters along the way -- like a feuding pair of brothers named Cain and Abel (David Cross and Paul Rudd). Unfortunately, their quest for greatness hits a few snags, like being sold into slavery, and later becoming the object of interest to a very amorous, very hairy high priest (Oliver Platt) in the opulent city of Sodom. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast

Jack Black
as Zed
Michael Cera
as Oh
Oliver Platt
as High Priest
David Cross
as Cain
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
as Isaac
Vinnie Jones
as Sargon
Hank Azaria
as Abraham
Juno Temple
as Eema
Olivia Wilde
as Princess Inanna
June Diane Raphael
as Maya
Eden Riegel
as Lilith
Xander Berkeley
as King
Gia Carides
as Queen
Horatio Sanz
as Enmebaragesi
David Pasquesi
as Prime Minister
Matthew Willig
as Marlark
Harold Ramis
as Adam
Rhoda Griffis
as Eve
Gabriel Sunday
as Seth
Kyle Gass
as Zaftig The Eunuch
Bill Hader
as Shaman
Marshall Manesh
as Slave Trader
Rion Hunter
as Bedouin Sheik
Gene Stupnitsky
as First Guard
Lee Eisenberg
as Sodom Sentry
Eric Gipson
as Sodom Vendor
Lacie Manshack
as Banana Girl
Weston Hollenshead
as Kid Stoner
Paul Scheer
as Bricklayer
Matt Besser
as Guy in Crowd
Drue Franklin
as Squanto
Joaquin Townsend
as Slave Child
Bryan Massey
as New Guard
Mark Cotone
as Angry Baker
Keet Davis
as Desert Soldier
Tim Hilton
as Pedestrian Villager
Jack Walker
as Village Child
Ashley Nicole Caldwell
as Gold Statue
Jamal Sims
as Dancer
Sarah Christine Smith
as Dancer
Kelly Connolly
as Dancer
Michael Morris
as Dancer
Leslie Geldbach
as Dancer
Katherine Miller
as Dancer
Paul Rudd
as Abel
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News & Interviews for Year One

The Friday Harvest: This Week’s Best Pictures, Posters, and Video
Box Office Guru Preview: Proposal and Year One Bring More Laughs
Critics Consensus: Year One Fails To Beget Laughs
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Critic Reviews for Year One

All Critics (173) | Top Critics (46) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (148)

  • Year One buckles at the first bad gag and it's downhill from there.

    October 30, 2019 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…

    Nikki Baughan

    Roll Credits
    Top Critic

  • Unfortunately, all the talent doesn't translate on the screen. Sure, there are a few mildly amusing moments (most coming courtesy of Cera), but for the most part Year One was one big dud.

    May 16, 2019 | Rating: D | Full Review…

    Micheal Compton

    Bowling Green Daily News
    Top Critic

  • Considering Year One is likely to flop, there's little point in giving it the benefit of controversy by protesting too much.

    March 3, 2019 | Full Review…

    Megan Basham

    WORLD
    Top Critic

  • All in all, this is a sloppy, unoriginal, brain-dead mess that can't even be bothered to get itself out of trouble.

    August 29, 2018 | Full Review…

    Deborah Ross

    The Spectator
    Top Critic

  • In the beginning there was light, which was closely followed by the fart joke.

    October 21, 2014 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Simon Miraudo

    Quickflix
    Top Critic

  • Stretched painfully thin to feature length, it's a concept that's gestated for 34 years but hasn't evolved a microbe. It also proves that the Harold Ramis of '09 has nothing on the Harold Ramis of '75.

    September 29, 2012 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    Ali Gray

    TheShiznit.co.uk
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (173)

Audience Reviews for Year One

  • Apr 05, 2015
    This abortion would have been better terminated before it was conceived. Disappointed with everyone involved in the film.
    Sylvester K Super Reviewer
  • Apr 19, 2012
    "Year One" tried to get me to laugh a countless number of times and failed every single one of them. There are no new jokes here; they are recycled gags that weren't funny the first time, let alone the thousandth. This film is a complete waste of good cast and crew, and it's absolutely depressing how unfunny it is.
    Stephen E Super Reviewer
  • Mar 24, 2012
    It seems that Harold Ramis didn't know that putting Cera and Black is a big mistake, Jack way of expressing comedy is way to different to how Cera shows which really ruined it for me, critics and the general public who watched it.
    Scott G Super Reviewer
  • Dec 02, 2011
    I hated this. Jack Black needs to stop doing kids stuff, and stop doing this crap, he needs another hit like School of Rock. Micheal Cera is a horrible actor, all around. This movie was hardly funny, maybe I laughed once. Dont see it if youvalready haven't.
    Bradley W Super Reviewer
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