Year One

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2:19

Year One

PG-13

Released Jun 19, 2009

1h 37m

Comedy

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

14%

Tomatometer

172 Reviews

24%

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250,000+ Ratings

After Neanderthal hunter Zed (Jack Black) is exiled for eating forbidden fruit, he and his sardonic buddy Oh (Michael Cera) leave their village and begin an epic journey through history. The pals encounter biblical characters such as Cain (David Cross) and Abel, Abraham (Hank Azaria), and others, and wind up in Sodom. Along the way, Zed debunks commonly held beliefs and replaces them with his own delusions of grandeur.

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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.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

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

Aug 29, 2018

Full Review

Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

What's even more depressing than the never-ending stream of sub-sixth-grade toilet humor is the sad fact that Year One is helmed and co-produced by two of the best laughmeisters in the business.

Rated: 1/5

Jan 5, 2010

Full Review

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Creatively it's a giant step backwards, with Jack Black and Michael Cera playing to the kids as inept hunter-gatherers who stumble across various Old Testament characters.

Jan 5, 2010

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

A dreary, groan-inducing comedy that fails to be funny or entertaining under even the most lenient terms.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 4, 2023

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

It may go slightly beyond the blueprints for a formulaic parody movie, but it has all the same symptoms.

Rated: 5/10

Nov 29, 2020

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Year One relies almost solely upon bawdy, sophomoric humor.

Rated: 1.0/4.0

Aug 31, 2020

Full Review

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Tom G

Can we stop pretending Jack Black is funny

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/28/25

Full Review

Emerson H.

Despite its excellent cast, Year One’s humor rarely makes you laugh.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/25/25

Full Review

Jay S

I watched it for the first time in July 2025 and laughed myself silly throughout. It is a brilliant movie not too dissimilar to the irreverence of a Monty Python "Life of Brian". Perhaps only Australian and Canadians could see humour in Jack Black's unrelenting comedy. Americans would be way too serious, many weighed down by the dull overreach of their fascist theocratic principles. Despite being written and filmed before Trump's time in power, the ending is enigmatic commentary on the problem with having Kings ruling over people, rather than a democratic government. But the film is not essentially about such a message. It's about taking the biblical stories and shining a bright spotlight of bawdy, energetic clever humour and tearing down those sacred cows. And that is the proper role for a comic genius. The acting is first class. Characters are memorable. Bravo! Sorry, but if you didn't get this movie , then you may be the problem that the world is facing today.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

Full Review

Cinder C

I think it’s a fun watch. It’s one I’ve seen several times and continue to enjoy. I feel like the rating here is too harsh.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/02/25

Full Review

Audience Member

I don't know why, it gets funnier everytime i watch it. The first time i watched it, i thought i was pretty bad. Now i actually really like it. Maybe i am getting older and shallow ;-)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

Full Review

James E

Not the best or even very good. Just a lot of actors that can do way better than this. Funny enough for a one time watch out of sheer curiosity.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

Full Review

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Harold Ramis

Director

Jack Black

Zed

Michael Cera

Oh

Oliver Platt

High Priest

David Cross

Cain

Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Isaac

Year One: Official Clip - Sleeping With Lilith

3:38

Year One: Official Clip - The Jackal Dance

1:08

Year One: Official Clip - Awkward Orgy

2:52

Year One: Official Clip - Rub Me With Oil

1:43

Year One: Official Clip - Abraham & Isaac

1:35

Year One: Official Clip - Cut off the Tip

2:04

Year One: Official Clip - No Longer a Virgin

3:30

Year One: Official Clip - Sexy Sodom

1:52

Year One: Official Clip - You're Cursed, Man

2:24

Year One: Official Clip - Peeing Upside Down

1:58

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Year One: Trailer 1

2:19

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Synopsis

After Neanderthal hunter Zed (Jack Black) is exiled for eating forbidden fruit, he and his sardonic buddy Oh (Michael Cera) leave their village and begin an epic journey through history. The pals encounter biblical characters such as Cain (David Cross) and Abel, Abraham (Hank Azaria), and others, and wind up in Sodom. Along the way, Zed debunks commonly held beliefs and replaces them with his own delusions of grandeur.

Director: Harold Ramis
Producer: Harold Ramis, Judd Apatow, Clayton Townsend
Screenwriter: Harold Ramis, Gene Stupnitsky, Lee Eisenberg
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Ocean Pictures, Apatow Company, Columbia Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Comic Violence|Brief Strong Language|Crude and Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 19, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $43.3M
Runtime: 1h 37m

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