  
Year Onea.k.a. “The Year One,” “Ano Um,” “Etos ena,” “Year one - Kaiken alku”MPAA Rating:
 for crude and sexual content throughout, brief strong language and comic violence.Reviewed by: Rev. Bryan Griem Extremely Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:
Teens, Adults
Genre:
Adventure, Comedy
Length:
1 hr. 40 min.
Year of Release:
2009
USA Release:
June 19, 2009 (wide—2,900 theaters)
DVD: October 6, 2009   
Relevant Issues
Sin and the Bible
CAVEMEN—Do they fit with the Bible? Answer Hunting in the Bible
Should I save sex for marriage? Answer What are the consequences of sexual immorality? Answer
Why is there a disconnect between Hollywood and the rest of America? Answer What is being done to change the values of Hollywood? Answer
“Meet your ancestors.” And they say biblical literacy is dead! Perhaps this is the final nail in its coffin. Will “Year One” be understood as an anachronistic bawdy romp through the Old Testament, or will viewers only understand it as a mere slapstick hodgepodge of actor Jack Black doing what he always does, but in some kind of pretend historic past? Christians will see the Bible debased and made light of, while secular folks will likely not get it, and they don’t need to since nothing about the movie is true to form. If they understand the biblical allusions, there will no doubt be some who will make the leap to judgment on the Bible, believing its contents to be quite nearly as archaic, silly, and unenlightened as the movie depicts. The story begins with a tribe of cavemen, living a life as hunter-gatherers before the time of Adam and Eve. Recognizing this is a comedy, let me just point out that this detail would be a problem, biblically speaking, since Adam and Eve were the first human beings, and there wouldn’t have been people running around hunting and gathering before them.
Anyway, hunter Zed (Black) proves at once to be one of his community’s loser members. While there are a few Zeds in the Bible (short for Zedekiah), there are places in the world today that use “zed” to mean “zero,” and at an early stage Black introduces himself as the son of “Zero.” So, he is essentially less than nothing, the tribe agrees, and he is thrown out for eating the forbidden fruit. Zed takes with him an effeminate gatherer named “Oh” (Michael Cera), and the two unlikely buddies go off to explore the civilized world. Immediately, the two are introduced to higher society as they encounter wheel-users, Cain and Abel, the first children of Adam and Eve (who really ate the biblical forbidden fruit in the Bible). They witness the first murder in history, although it just comes across as something to laugh at for the audience, and something to worry about for the characters as they are forced to go with fratricidal Cain (David Cross) when he flees his home. In the Biblical account, God marks Cain for his sin, and though the circumstances are convoluted in the movie, this event is depicted with interesting special effect. Disturbing is the introduction of Cain’s sister, Lilith (named for a legendary alternate wife to Adam) who is here presented as an avowed homosexual. It isn’t long before Zed and Oh happen upon Abraham at the moment of his sacrifice of Isaac, and they are the ones who stay his hand, not the Angel of the Lord, à la Genesis. Of course, Abraham mistakes Zed for an angel, and the Bible is made to report a perception rather than an inspired fact. This scene ushers the audience into yet another culture, a Hebrew one, in which circumcision plays a big part and which is made a constant source of humor throughout the movie. Because of this, the word “penis” must have earned the Guinness record for number of times it can be said in a ninety minute period. While the beginning of mankind came thousands of years before the time of Abraham, the next and concluding section of the movie are contemporaneous, as the goofy two head from the home of Abraham to the city of Sodom (of Sodom and Gomorrah infamy). While they had parted company with Cain earlier, they find him again in the city, and there Cain says a few memorable lines like “the great thing about Sodom is the sodomy,” and something on the order of “what happens in Sodom (read, Vegas) stays in Sodom.” The depiction of Sodom as pagan, licentious, homosexual and perverse is probably close to the truth, though the real place was so much more evil that God completely wiped it off the map. Profanity in the film covers the gamut, and everything from the F-bomb, all the way down, gets uttered. Although it is not as constant as in some other films, what doesn’t get said gets depicted—from women looking up men’s loincloths, to men looking down women’s blouses. Food is sexualized, everyone seems to be motivated with hopes of “laying” with someone, and all manner of sexual practice is referenced, such as masturbation, homosexuality, bestiality, incest, etc. One especially blasphemous sexual exchange about the “holy of holies” almost created an expectation of lightning to come down and consume the entire cast and crew as I watched, but, of course, the movie is made, and there it is. While nudity wasn’t a factor in the film, there were scantily-clad orgy participants, breasts were poked, statuary genitalia were emphasized, and off-screen fornication took place. Comedic violence in the movie was more final than you would normally expect, in that Cain does end the life of his brother, chopped heads roll in a marauding sequence, and young women die as they are thrown into a sacrificial fire. These are not especially amusing, although the Cain sequence is reminiscent of Monty Python humor where the dead man continues to get up until he is finally and completely pounded to death. Along with these are multiple fight scenes, people squished, speared, bonked, punched, thrown, and whatever else you can imagine. There is smoking and drinking in the film. Intoxicants are brought in on several occasions; from young Isaac mentioning how he goes to Sodom to get high and drunk, to things consumed by the sacrificial virgins that take visible effect immediately. The gross factor in the movie is one of its biggest humor contributions, so if vomit, flatulence, urination, coprophagia, homosexuality and defecation make you laugh, here’s a movie for you. There are moments when you can’t help but laugh, but its more out of the sheer over-the-top disgusting nature of it than to any truly laughable humor. Overall, I would describe this movie as a very low-brow, adult potty-humor sort of trash. Yes, it has its moments, but like the payoff at the end of a dirty joke, it just isn’t worth it, not for God’s holy people anyway. The rating may PG-13, but I wouldn’t suggest parents allow their thirteen year olds to see it. This is not “School of Rock” or “Nacho Libre” (Black’s tamer claims to fame). See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.   Comments below:
Positive
Positive - I was amazed at how biblically accurate this was. WOW! Book of Genesis... Obviously it was stuck in a time warp - all these characters being in one era at the same time.. A lot of the good stuff got left out -- whoever edited this should be shot, as the story jumped from one scene to another without bothering to fill out each scene first. What DID remain was the moral at the end: “We're ALL the chosen one!” (I guess the reviewers all walked out before Mr. Ramos got to the punch line.) Positive - I am a fan of Jet Black although I realize sometimes he can be pretty offensive. I''ll keep this review short. This movie took alot from the bible. Was it accurate? Eh for the most part. Was it funny? I thought it was. Alot of fellow Christians I know didn't like it. But really theres far worse comedies—FAR WORSE. I actually expected it to be really raunchy. After seeing “The Hangover,” this movie isn't that bad. If people are looking for the perfect movie those are rare. Obviously this movie isn't for a good amount of people, but it's not the worst thing you could see either by any means. Positive - There were obvious scenes that could have been excluded but overall this is a really funny movie. We has several laugh-out-loud moments, but our family does enjoy crude humor. I do like the opportunity to laugh at myself but there were a couple of scenes that were in the 'neighborhood' of offensive to the Christian faith. I would reconsider if I were deciding to see this moving with someone who was spiritually immature. I might have left the movie a little dumber having seen it, I am still glad I did. :) Neutral
none Negative
Negative - After no small deliberation, I have decided this movie is on par with “Meet the Spartans.” I think I saw Wal-Mart giving out free copies of the latter today. Negative - I didn't realize what this movie was about when I agreed to see it. I have to say I was appalled. I had to leave the theater once I realized that the entire movie mocked God's Holy Word. I felt convicted and I couldn't sit through it. I do not suggest that anybody with a love for God go see this movie. Negative - This movie is openly gnostic/Satanic in theology. The ending message is “you don't need a chosen one—we are all ‘chosen ones’.” This movie consistently mocks and demeans the God of the Bible. This is all hidden in crude humor and some truly funny parts, but the message and intent of the film is nothing to be laughed at. It is evangelistic in its message that “God is trying to keep you from knowledge” and other lies of the enemy. I'm sure someone will post an article in the future detailing the specific beliefs shown here in more detail. Negative - I rented this DVD on a whim from Blockbuster since I was looking for something funny to watch. This movie tried to deliver laughs, but it received few from me. The deliberate Biblical illiteracy was funny at first but it got old real fast. I'm thankful that I only rented this DVD for $5 instead of paying $10 to see it in a theater. Frankly, folks are better off watching Mel Brooks' “History of the World: Part I” than this movie. Comments from young people
Negative - This movie disgusts me. I am ashamed that I didn't walk out of the theater because the whole goal of this film was to make Christianity, or anyone who believes in God, a laughing-stock. One of Adam's daughters was a proud lesbian. Abraham was portrayed as a raving lunatic for his devotion to God throughout the film. The warning of prostitution in Sodom was made an extra incentive for the two main characters to travel to the evil city. All of these aspects of the movie repulsed me—and they were just the tip of the iceberg. I would not advise this movie for anyone, that is unless you like seeing Christianity or religion in general mocked. Neutral - OK first off this was a funny movie. at some points of the movie me and my friend were in pain we were laughing so hard! but… There were many parts of the movie were I felt extremely uncomfortable because of all the jokes that put down God and the bible. I felt God would not have wanted me to watch this film. Funny movie… but for a price. Positive - Wow, what a movie is all I can say. The movie was a enjoyable comedy from start to finish, a lot of Christians are skeptic about this movie and that kind of disappoints me. I think that's because this movie really comes close to crossing the line with insulting the bible, but I really think its how you perceive this movie. But from my thinking, I loved the movie, I never stopped laughing throughout the whole thing, and I think most of us can relate to this movie. Neutral - …I thought this was a verrrrrrrrrrry funny movie. I'm giving it a neutral because of how uncofortable I felt when every other joke was putting down God. At one point the jokes got so offensive that I almost walked out but, in the end i stayed for it all. It was funny but you have to pay the price, of one day being judged by God (he will not like this movie one bit) for seeing this movie. Movie Critics
…“Year One” is a dreary experience… …Black was fresh and funny once… but here he forgets to act and simply announces his lines. Cera plays shy and uncertain, but then he always does, and responds to Black as if Jack were “Juno” and a source of intimidating wit.… …Those who do not learn from the history of comedy are condemned to repeat it, though not always as funnily.… …There is plenty of lowbrow, knuckle-dragging humor; coupled with all the gay jokes, poop jokes, Jewish jokes and you're-stupider-than-I-am jokes, the arrested-development crowd will no doubt be thoroughly entertained.… Jack Black and Michael Cera goof with the ancients. Unfortunately, the jokes have been around just as long.… …charmless… Black is way past his expiration date. The actor’s unvarying comic shtick—blubbery egotism and over-enunciated dude catchphrases—has never seemed feebler.… …“Year One” falls somewhere on the lower end of the scale. Its take on the first book of the Bible might call to mind the description of the church at Laodicea in the last book of the Bible (Rev. 3:16): It’s neither hot nor cold. If you take it in, you might want to spit it out.… Comments from non-viewers
Personally haven't watched the movie, but just watching the trailers, you can tell this movie is blasphemous, and the whole cast needs to find the true meaning of God's holy word. The reviews i have seen, specially the sexual content on the holy of holies, made my jaw drop. If the people of this nation is trying to push God out of our schools, and our pledge of allegiance, because it may "offend someone" then this movie should not have made it to the theater much less the shelf, because it HIGHLY offends me. This is the kind of attitude that the Christians should stand AGAINST. So when Christians go to see this movie, they are supporting it, and saying this behavior and this kind of movie is acceptable. So no, i will never watch this, and neither should anyone else. Matthew 12:32 "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." (KJV) God have mercy on their souls |
E-mail this page to a friend
