Year One

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2:19

Year One

PG-13

2009

1h 37m

Comedy

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

14%

Tomatometer

168 Reviews

24%

Popcornmeter

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

Aug 29, 2018

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

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Jan 5, 2010

1/5

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.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Jan 5, 2010

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.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Sep 4, 2023

1.5/4

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

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Nov 29, 2020

5/10

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

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Aug 31, 2020

1.0/4.0

Year One relies almost solely upon bawdy, sophomoric humor.

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 19, 2026

Year One is a *1* star Movie!

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Maddi K

@Maddi-3 Jul 8, 2026

I think the concept was interesting, but it was poorly executed, the two main actors were clearly talented, it was hard to follow the plot and their didn't seem like their was even a problem they had to resolve, they did but the stakes weren't high enough and the humor was a bit dead.

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Richard J.

@RT21432955 Jun 2, 2026

It's a good comedy and seriously underrated. The range of comedic actors add a lot of enjoyment and humor to what others would consider a sensitive topic (religion).

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Melissa M

@Lisey May 15, 2026

This movie is like a cross between Mel Brooks History of The World Part 1, Caveman, & a Monty Python movie.. it's one of the best grossed out movies of all time. Jack Black is also one of the best comedians of all time. He can do physical comedy & slapstick comedy. Its a satirical look at biblical times. From a parody of Cain & Abel to a hysterical history of the Roman empire. You know when a movie is directed or written by Harold Ramis it's going to be LOL.

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Chris B

@Burge Apr 10, 2026

I like these types of brain-dead movies. It's a religious farce thus the bad reviews. Just enjoy it

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Joe L.

@Hoagie1013 Apr 10, 2026

Wanted to love it but couldn’t. Jack throwing the spear in that dudes ass is the funniest scene in the whole movie and it’s in the first 10 minutes. Rest is almost unforgettable

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Harold Ramis

Director

Jack Black

Zed

Michael Cera

Oh

Oliver Platt

High Priest

David Cross

Cain

Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Isaac

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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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