Year One

Jack Black really missed the mark and his expedition to prehistoric times was so annoying that I couldn't bear to stay with him until the end. As a comparison, the controversial RRRrrrr delivered a huge load of absurd situations, each of which was crazier than the previous one, and there were several excellent moments to laugh out loud at. But Year One pissed me off with its absolute inability to develop a promising story and I laughed only once, when Black and Cera ride a horse for the first time in their lives; and that is bloody little for 90 minutes of “crazy” adventure. (22/06/2012)

Michael Cera looks like an idiot with long hair. Jack Black shows that silly comedies suit him, but that doesn't mean they'll be enjoyable. Year One is simply a bunch of nonsense. Whenever there's a scene that is funny, it is immediately followed by some horrific embarrassment that kills the overall impression. Farting scenes or scenes involving shit—if you'll excuse the term—are not something that delights the audience. From someone like Harold Ramis, I would expect more. It seems to me that the film is just a hodgepodge of the dumbest moments in cinematic history. This is simply not how to make a good comedy. I believe it's possible to create a comedy that is intelligent and funny, but in this case, it just didn't work. Black and Cera don't fit well in this instance, not to mention their colleagues, although you'll definitely remember Oliver Platt. The worst part about Year One is that it has essentially zero plot. The two just wander around, absurdly witnessing various biblical stories that couldn't have happened over the span of a few days, and yet they're supposed to become prophets only to ultimately give that up for a simple life. Of course, a moral lesson at the end is mandatory, and it's truly terrible. There's nothing good about this comedy. (22/02/2013)

These coarse-grained "comedies" are rarely my cup of tea. Year One drew me in with the subject matter and the name Harold Ramis, but it offered little else. Not counting Theodore Shapiro's successful music, I didn't find much fun in it at all. There were a few scenes that had a certain idea (Cain and Abel, for example), but the rest was awkward to the point of shame. I consider the sh... poop tasting scene to be the absolute low point. (01/06/2014)

This was a beauty of a parody, the kind I love! Jack Black and Michael Cera are a legendary duo, the humor is top notch and the portrayal of "year one" is just great. It's fast paced, entertains royally, has brutal characters and the wisecracks are not spared. If you love parodies, you shouldn't miss this one!! (15/03/2023)

Two or three funny moments do not change the fact that there are plenty of places where the film teems with disgust and embarrassment of the worst kind. I do not understand this kind of entertainment... Overall impression: 5%. (06/03/2011)