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Bird watchers of the world unite as you now have
a movie of your very own. Not a parody or a nonsensical
look at the world of birding; but a fairly decent
comedy with a lot of heart, several laughs, and
a whole lot of birds. THE BIG YEAR may fly under
the radar due to an ambiguous name and very little
media attention. Though it has a decent cast and
pretty solid writing it may be better suited for
an afternoon renter. But that doesn’t take
away from its strong points.
The film follows three bird lovers as they compete
in a year long contest to see who can spot the
most birds. Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) is the
reigning champ and guy to beat. His record has
stood untouched for years and the only thing surpassing
it is his ego and competitive nature. Stu Preissler
(Steve Martin) is a retired business man who has
dreamed of doing this all of his life. He now
has the financial means and time to do it. The
third guy, Brad Harris (Jack Black) has neither
the time nor the money. But he does have the most
bird knowledge and a passion that could end him
up on top.
This film is certainly all about the birds. It
is based on the book, The Big Year, by Mark Obmascik;
an environmentalist and journalist with the Denver
Post. His book chronicles the 1998 event and its
three top contenders. Not sure that the screenplay
stayed as accurate but it still had loads of entertainment
and some underlying messages that were neither
preachy nor heavy handed. Also, it isn’t
an environmental story. It is simply about birds
and the people who watch them. That was smart
on the part of the movie makers.
Though all three actors are strong comedians in
their own right, they played well together here.
Wilson, Black, and Martin have different forms
of delivery and all three have a likability and
endearing quality. This allowed the film to be
more than just a segment of one liners and slapstick
moments. It has a terrific message about friendship,
personal endeavors, and discovering what is truly
important in life. I enjoyed seeing these different
generations of comics on the screen together.
It worked. Granted at times the script was not
the beefiest they have had to work with but they
were able to make it their own. Some may argue
that the actors didn’t stray far from their
normal comfort zones but that was fine for a film
such as this.
The Big Year is rated PG for language and some
sensuality. In all honesty it could have omitted
a handful of expletives and been squeaky clean.
There are a few unnecessary outbursts but you
can count them on one hand. The sensuality lasted
about 30 seconds between Wilson’s character
and his wife (Rosamund Pike).The moment is certainly
more about humor than sensuality. I enjoyed this
film but not sure I would recommend spending a
lot of money to see it. If you are into birding
then by all means this should be on you radar.
For the average movie goer it is certainly entertaining
but nothing that will blow you over. If you are
looking for something different and are fans of
these three actors, then go for it. I give it
a solid 3 out of 5. Again, it is a perfect afternoon
on the couch view more than a night at the Cineplex.
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