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YEAR ONEMovie Reviews
Comedy about a pair of lazy Stone Age hunter-gatherers who embark on a wild journey through the ancient world after being banished from their primitive village. Cast:Jack Black, Michael Cera, Olivia Wilde, Oliver Platt, David Cross, Vinnie JonesDirector:Harold RamisRelease Date:June 19, 2009DVD Release:October 6, 2009From:Columbia PicturesRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 37 min
Year One played to weak reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Christy Lemire wrote for the Associated Press, "A few amusing moments and ideas pop up here and there, but more often the script feels flat, with a needlessly heavy reliance on scatological gags." • And Michael O'Sullivan wrote in the Washington Post, "...never rises above, oh, about crotch level. It's unevolved, unapologetic and mostly unfunny." More Reviews Below...
Year One Positive Reviews (31 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: POOR "...there's something very sad about the film's vulgarity. It's desperate. The movie is one long snigger. Cera is the only aspect of it that doesn't feel graceless and defeated."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 627 words, 06/19/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "...has a handful of chuckles, but it's also harmless and scattershot, without much primitive bite.... This is just silliness run mildly wild."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 649 words, 06/19/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "A few amusing moments and ideas pop up here and there, but more often the script feels flat, with a needlessly heavy reliance on scatological gags."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 278 words, 06/18/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "While Cera is humorously low-key and Black has a few funny moments, the film is scattershot and silly, squandering its potential by relying on juvenile bawdy humor."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 420 words, 06/19/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Everything is indeed weird in Mr. Ramis's highbrow slapstick, in which theological questions are smuggled in between silly bits about excrement and body hair."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 971 words, 06/19/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "During all of the film's oh-so-long 97 minutes, 'Year One' barely earns a snicker. Anyone wanting as much as a sustained chuckle will feel as if they're frozen in time."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 06/19/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "...a dreary experience, and all the ending accomplishes is to bring it to a close. Even in the credit cookies, you don't sense the actors having much fun."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 06/18/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Cera and Black are great as sidekicks, but they don't make it as leading men... There is no real plot... There is plenty of lowbrow, knuckle-dragging humor..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 670 words, 06/19/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "...most scenes come to abrupt and inexplicable ends. One minute Cera has a deadly snake or a cougar wrapped around him, then we cut to the next bit."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 569 words, 06/19/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "A lot of it's wince-worthy. And then, just when you're about to give up on it, Ramis and company toss off some stupid, stupid joke and, against the Lord's wishes, you laugh."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 552 words, 06/19/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR(cg) "...the closing credits are accompanied by a collection of flubbed takes, which are about as funny as what's in the movie."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 694 words, 06/19/09
Robert Wilonsky, LA Weekly: POOR "Ramis' half-assed, hare-brained return to writing and directing makes Mel Brooks' equally muddled, soporific 'History of the World, Part 1' look downright majestic..."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 06/25/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It runs out of ideas well before the credits roll, but the cast keeps it sputtering along with idiosyncratic line readings and the occasional head-clunking."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 254 words, 06/18/09
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "...never rises above, oh, about crotch level. It's unevolved, unapologetic and mostly unfunny.... Cera looks genuinely embarrassed to be caught on camera..."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 577 words, 06/19/09
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Ramis never lets his guard down, never gives the audience a chance to relax, even if it means hanging a lead character upside down and making him urinate on his own face."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 759 words, 06/19/09
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: MODERATE(cg) "...halfway there with its premise, but it can't be bothered to follow through with anything but the most telegraphed results."(See all of Chris Vognar's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 410 words, 06/19/09
David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...dopey but resourceful... The actors make a surprisingly effective comic team, with Black's manic energy trampolining off Cera's deflated passivity..."(See all of David Hiltbrand's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 451 words, 06/19/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: POOR(cg) "Any good will the movie generates is grated right back off by Black, whose obnoxiousness has lost whatever charm it once possessed."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 06/19/09
Tom Horgen, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "There is a lot to smile at here, but few laugh-out-loud moments.... The cast is a who's who of funnymen. Unfortunately, the script doesn't give them a whole lot to work with."(See all of Tom Horgen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 06/19/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...moves along ploddingly, stepping frequently into bathroom humor and never quite funny enough to justify its high concept; when it's over, it quickly slips away."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 06/19/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "On the surface, it resembles 'Monty Python's Life of Brian.' Yet underneath, there's cheap material. Sometimes, it briefly gleams; but in the final reckoning, it's dull."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 310 words, 06/19/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: POOR(cg) "...a dud.... A few amusing moments and ideas pop up here and there, but more often the script feels flat, with a needlessly heavy reliance on scatological gags."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 233 words, 06/20/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: WEAK(cg) "...lazy... A movie that doesn't respect its audience enough to muster a sliver of a story is practically impossible to warm up to, no matter how likable its actors."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 568 words, 06/19/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "At best, it's a bit like Mel Brooks' 'The History of the World: Part I' (except Ramis stops somewhere in Genesis); at worst, it's like a 'Scary Movie'- type parody..."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 06/19/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Robert Wilonsky, LA Weekly: POOR "Ramis' half-assed, hare-brained return to writing and directing makes Mel Brooks' equally muddled, soporific 'History of the World, Part 1' look downright majestic..."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 06/25/09
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: POOR(cg) "...there's little farce, just Jack Black, 'Juno' refugee Michael Cera, and a fusillade of flaccid dick jokes (no frontal nudity, thank you), homo-erotic floundering, and farts."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 06/25/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It runs out of ideas well before the credits roll, but the cast keeps it sputtering along with idiosyncratic line readings and the occasional head-clunking."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 254 words, 06/18/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Everything is indeed weird in Mr. Ramis's highbrow slapstick, in which theological questions are smuggled in between silly bits about excrement and body hair."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 971 words, 06/19/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Cera and Black are great as sidekicks, but they don't make it as leading men... There is no real plot... There is plenty of lowbrow, knuckle-dragging humor..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 670 words, 06/19/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Ronnie Scheib, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "An amiable stroll through biblical times featuring Jack Black and Michael Cera as exiled Neanderthals... lacks seismic guffaws but elicits many mild smiles."(See all of Ronnie Scheib's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 709 words, 06/17/09
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "As has become the norm, the closing credits are accompanied by outtakes far funnier than what made it into the finished picture. Well, at least the actors had fun."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 06/16/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Cera and Black are great as sidekicks, but they don't make it as leading men... There is no real plot... There is plenty of lowbrow, knuckle-dragging humor..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 670 words, 06/19/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Everything is indeed weird in Mr. Ramis's highbrow slapstick, in which theological questions are smuggled in between silly bits about excrement and body hair."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 971 words, 06/19/09
21.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Year One's reviews are separated by an average 21.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Year One (31 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Year One's reviews cover 53.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 15,662 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 505 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Year One Coverage, Volume & Length (31 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 9.7 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Year One's reviews on average broke 9.7 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Year One's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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