User reviews

With the lead cast consisting of Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and Jack Black, you would think The Big Year will be just another slapstick comedy with little to no story and cheap laughs. You would be wrong.

The Big Year is beautiful. Three men of different ages cross paths in their interest for birding; spotting as many birds as one can in one year.

But the film isn't really about "birding", it shows us life through three different views and the challenges life can bring and the choices that everyone has to make.

The Big Year is not a movie you will sit through laughing out loud, but you will be smiling for the better part of the 100 minutes.

One of the most underrated movies of 2011, The Big Year suffered from lack of promotion and a misleading poster and trailer.

Do yourself a favor, and watch this, you will not regret it!

Surprisingly because, although the cast is a very talented one, the bird-watching subject is interesting and comedy dramas are enjoyable when done right, the trailer wasn't particularly very promising and there were the worries of whether anything interesting would be made regarding bird-watching, whether the cast would be well-used and the dangers of the comedy forgetting to be funny or the drama to be too sentimental or both.

The Big Year is not a perfect film, with the odd predictable part, some pedestrian pacing and for personal tastes some of the historical montage narration was a little irritating and not always necessary despite it being well-delivered by John Cleese. However it is much better than the trailer suggests, in all honesty trailers rarely do their films justice with the trailer being misleading or bad and the film actually being good(the case with The Big Year). The bird-watching subject is dealt with thoughtfully and mostly engagingly if imperfectly, as well as handled with a gentle tone and uplifting at the end. And the script and story do just fine in the comedy and drama. Sure the comedy is not laugh-out-funny which will disappoint people, but it's gentle, droll humour instead of the crude, broad humour that it could easily have been, and the approach worked and would have suited the film and story much better in the first place. The drama hits the right note too, there's always a danger in comedy dramas or dramas for the dramatic parts to be over-sentimental, but in my opinion The Big Year did not fall into that trap with it being very poignant and hopeful.

It's very beautifully filmed too with strikingly picturesque locations, it is nicely directed and the music from Theodore Shapiro does a good job matching the film's gentle tone. The characters are sympathetically drawn and played, there's a danger always in comedy drama to have a character that's annoying or window-dressing and none of those are present in The Big Year. The acting is strong and no time is wasted on making full use of what makes the actors talented. Steve Martin's comic timing is as smooth as silk, Jack Black while broad at times is thankfully more subtle than usual and Owen Wilson while not quite as memorable is amiably likable. Luckily they are treated equally by the writers instead of one outweighing the others They are well-supported by an as ever elegant Anjelica Huston, an as always stellar Dianne Wiest and a radiant and sympathetic Rosamund Pike. To me The Big Year was not lacking in chemistry or tension.

Overall, The Big Year is not perfect but it's a surprisingly good and well done film, that is far better than it was advertised to be. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I confess that I cannot represent the following as an entirely objective, nor representative assessment of the quality of "The Big Year". How often does one of the early scenes in a film almost identically replicate an incident in the viewer's life? My introduction to the peculiar world of birding was in the late 1990s at Patagonia State Park in Southern Arizona. We had unsuspectingly selected a camping location that was noted for hosting an enormous variety of birds, and were awakened one morning by a small army of odd looking characters hell-bent on confirming the first reported sighting of the Nutting flycatcher in the United States in several decades. Out of curiosity we joined the chase, and the rest is family history, eerily duplicated by the makers of this film. What followed were many years of exercise, pleasure and reward for one of life's most interesting avocations.

So... how could I not enjoy this fine effort at mixing the allure of this strange "sport" with a thoughtful exploration of human motivation and conflicted choices. I can understand why the faithful fans of Black, Martin and Wilson might be disappointed with this production. But I, for one, have grown infinitely weary of too many superficial, sophomoric attempts at humor through these three capable actors. I was encouraged to see the restraint and depth that they could bring to these characters which provided the necessary credibility for this otherwise improbable tale. The film maintains a near perfect balance of humor, drama, and suspense in a well paced, engaging and uplifting plot. The spectacular photography of an abundance of aesthetically appealing locations is an added bonus.

I count it a big plus when I can walk out of the movie with that "feel good" elation that comes from a pleasant and interesting evening's entertainment. My heart said give it an eight or nine, but my never-ending quest for realistic objectivity resulted in the understated seven. Unless you are of the set that requires demolition derbies and frat humor for your entertainment, go see it. You'll have a good time.

This is not a comedy, but it doesn't mean its not a good movie. Its quite a shame that this is classified as a comedy when its clearly not, its not even about the birds.This is a film about relationships, and how those relationships are affected during this time of the big year, Its a very light hearted film with a dramatic undertone.

Its teaches us about life, and that it's a journey, not a competition. It shows the sacrifices people can make to achieve their dreams & the journey of these three men that find more than just birds on this adventure.

Some beautiful landscapes throughout this movie and beautiful birds... this is worth a watch but take it as it is. and not a laugh out loud comedy 7/10.

As a long time birdwatcher and Steve Martin fan, I watched "The BIg Year" with keen interest and an eye for the details. Having birded quite extensively in the US, I think I am qualified to give this a very thorough review!

To start things off, this is a story about three talented birders - one young hotshot (Owen Wilson), one budding hotshot (Jack Black), and one old guy (Steve Martin) - competing against one another to see who can list the most birds in North America in one calendar year. The action starts on Jan 1, and right off the bat, birds, or "ticks", start to go up on everyone's lists. A siting here, a siting there, and with a little scientific narration, we're off and running Thankfully, we also see a running tally of each birder's totals frequently as the movie progresses.

And then the various subplots and scenarios kick in as the race heats up. These subplots revolve around each birder and his normal life outside of his hobby with the idea being to show you what kind of sacrifices are involved in doing a big year. OK, nice idea, but only one of these really works for me, though - the one involving Jack and his dad, played by Brian Dennehy. Good work there - both believable and touching. But otherwise, the subplots were predictable and added little to the main story. I did enjoy, though, the one scene where expert birder Ken Bostick is making love to his wife while news reports of a "fallout" of migrants on the Texas coast is broadcast. That was probably the funniest moment in the entire film. Anyway, and then as the race heats up, more plot unfolds. Part of doing a big year is to not let others know you are doing one. Thats to lessen any chance of all out warfare among listers. Also, you can form alliances and team up with others along the way if your goal is to stop the top dog, the favorite expected to tally the most birds in the end.

But overall, a big year is not all that unlike it was portrayed in the film making allowances for Hollywood invention, etc. Things can get a bit crazy. The level of competition is such that ordinary people will sometimes do extraordinarily expensive, unethical, or just plain stupid things to see a bird. I liked that the film delved into this a bit, as each actor seemed fairly believable as a competitive birder, with enough scheming and conniving behavior thrown in to give you a feel for what a big year can really be like.

And now on to the movie from a scientific point of view: I'd rate the scientific accuracy of the birding lore here fairly highly at times. In particular, the culture on Attu, Alaska was a lot like I have read (I have never been). But at other times, inexplicably, science gave way to whatever seemed to suit someones idea of a good plot twist best. For example, THe great spotted woodpecker siting in Oregon was pure fantasy - Woodpeckers do not migrate much and this is an Asian species. Other birds like the pink footed Goose and Grey Owl were located in habitat unsuitable for them in real life. And then there was the trek to High Island in Texas, which really amused me because of how they hyped it up - I mean as the scene unfolds, tens of thousands of birds are shown filling the air like you only see on the duck and geese refuges. Very funny....:)

But here's what I kept wanting to see more of though - first off - more moving, beautifully photographed scenery (a la "Winged Migration", perhaps). Kudo's to the Bald Eagle mating scene which almost brought me to tears. But also - more science. A big year is more than about going to Texas and Attu in the spring. What about the Fall migration? The winter migrants? A big year strategy will take in all 12 months, and with each season, new birds become possible as the landscape changes. One could have been given a better sense for how the different seasons affect the distribution of birds and thus the fortunes of someone attempting to do a big year.

But in the end here, its all about the competition mixed with a little comedy. And as the days wind down and the winter months approach, big years often end up with some really crazy, last minute cross country treks to see late breaking hot birds. But here? - both the competition and the comedy sort of fizzle out in the end. The conclusion is pretty anti-climactic unlike a lot of real life big years I've read about. We cheer the ultimate winner, but even the losers wind up winning something in a small way - a feel good ending which at least keeps you from walking away disappointed that your favorite comedic actor did not get the top prize.

In conclusion, "the big year" is a fast paced adventure which does a fairly decent job of portraying the birdwatching culture and particularly those that are into competitive listing. Birding is also fallow ground for comedy though, but sadly, despite the appearance of Steve Martin, the film is only given a light comedic touch there. Steve's performance is very understated. Thankfully though, there is enough scientific meat, nice scenery and decent performances from the others to pull it off. Owen Wilson as Ken Bostick is perfect as the arrogant hot shot, while Jack Black does a nice job as the conniving but big hearted wannabe. So, but overall, maybe ditch or reduce two out of the three subplots, build to a bigger climax, and add more scenery shots and I'd have given this a much better review.

'THE BIG YEAR': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson star in this bird watching comedy based on the book 'The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession' by Mark Obmascik. The three play birders (recreational bird watchers) each trying to outdo each other in a 'big year' (a competition in which birders compete to see who can spot the most different species of birds in a single year in a given area, in this case the U.S.). The film was directed by David Frankel (who's also directed such hit comedy films as 'THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA' and 'MARLEY & ME') and written by Howard Franklin. It's not as much of a laugh riot as you might expect coming from the combination of the three big time comedy stars and it's surprisingly clean and lightweight (coming from the three big time comedy stars) but it is much better than the reviews and box office might lead you to believe.

The story is narrated by Brad Harris (Black) as he tells how he followed his dreams, despite lacking much money, and competed in a 'big year' to surprising results, in large part due to the other skilled birders he met along the way: Kenny Bostick (Wilson) and Stu Preissler (Martin). Bostick was the defending champion and known for dishing out a lot of sneaky tricks for throwing off his competitors. Stu was a seasoned vet who becomes a good friend to Brad. The film follows their heated competition as the three desperately try to outdo each other while wrestling with the costs of doing so (mostly family problems at home) as well.

It is interesting to see Black in a pretty clean nice guy role that's not vulgar or buffoonish much at all. He's kind of the central character of the film and it's biggest protagonist. Martin kind of plays the same type of role he usually does, in these family friendly PG rated comedies, while Wilson plays slightly against type by being the film's main antagonist (he still comes off as the same type of wild card he usually does just a little more self centered and rascally than normal). The movie has some touching human drama and strong character development as well. It's not quite as funny as you might hope (like I said), with the three lead actors attached, but it is humorous still (for the most part). The movie is pretty aptly made for it's type and there's really not anything to complain about. I wouldn't say it's a must see comedy but it's not disappointing really in anyway either. The reviews have been harsh and the dim box office results might also lead you to believe the movie doesn't have anything to it but it's surprisingly decent given that information. I think the marketing ultimately cursed it financially and critics will always be overly critical and somewhat absurd in the way they review movies. It's a good film, one I don't think most would regret seeing.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj550csrEQk

I've been a fan of Steve Martin since The Jerk. I also dig Jack Black. But this movie was a huge flop. A comedy should be funny, and this movie had zero funny moments. None. And the plot? Try to spot as many birds as you can to be the champion bird watcher? Sound dull? It's even duller than you'd imagine. And all you have to do to win is simply report back to the other competitors, who are spread out around the country, and tell them which bird you saw. That's it. No judges, no validating, no proof. Just "I saw a red necked dingleberry today". "Oh, damn! Jerry spotted a Dingleberry. That puts me behind my 14 birds!" Better book a flight to Alaska to hurry up and find a "yellow billed snow hawk". The sheer time and money it would take to jet off to every possible habitat to play this dumb game is absurd. And again.....just tell them you saw it, and it counts. And most of them manage to play this ridiculous game every year? Beyond the silly plot, none of the 3 comedians were funny. No funny lines, no hysterical moments, nothing. How anyone gave this 6, 7, 8, or 9 stars is baffling. And I understand, tastes are different. I just can't imagine someone watching it and feeling it's a 9.....similar to Forrest Gump, The Godfather, Raiders of rhe Last Ark. Seriously? I suspect some fans of the actors were determined to give them a good rating.

This i a highly underrated movie, about human interaction. I can't believe that people don't get it.

I've always admired people who where passionate about things in life. Be it model trains, woodworking, stamps or traveling. This movie serves as inspiration to get out and do something and is a celebration of the people who do.

I've seen this movie 3 times, and each time it leaves me with a sense of community with the characters, and i wan't to spend more time with then.

Ignore the critics, and just enjoy.

Initially I had expected this to be somewhat more of a laughing-comedy, given the three headlining names on the poster; Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. However, "The Big Year" was much better than just that. Instead of being just another comedy, this movie was more meaningful and profound.

"The Big Year" is a warm story about friendship and fulfilling your dreams and chasing after what you want. Though it may come at a cost, and just what are you willing to sacrifice to obtain your dreams? There weren't really any major laughs throughout the movie, but still the story manages to maintain your interest and you want to sit around to see what happens next. The movie manages to get you submerged into the race between the competitors in the birding competition, and when they do manage to catch a glimpse of that rare bird, you feel like you are right there with them.

"The Big Year" is actually holds one of Jack Black's best performances, proving that he is more than just your average standard comedian actor. And the on-screen chemistry between Martin, Wilson and Black is really working quite well.

"The Big Year" is a movie full of beautiful shots of nature, scenery, and of course, birds. I think you will appreciate this movie a tad more if you are into birding yourself. I am not into that, but I still found the movie to be rather good, because of the warm and compelling story that it told.

However, I doubt that this is the type of movie that you will watch a second time around, unless you are into birding, because there actually is very little leverage in the storyline to support a second watching. But still, if you haven't seen the movie yet, sit down and watch it, because it is actually a rather beautiful movie.

I'm a birdwatcher and a movie lover and I really didn't want to see "The Big Year." The part of my brain that is rewarded by watching movies is very different from the part of my brain that is rewarding by birdwatching. In movies I'm focused on personalities, dialogue, and the swift progression of a plot from A to B to C to its climax and conclusion. While birdwatching, I don't want to activate that part of my brain. I want to forget other people, and not think verbally, but rather in terms of shapes, colors, and movement. I want to lose any sense of sequential time by focusing on the timeless beauty of a bird in flight.

"The Big Year" didn't succeed for me as a movie or as a treatment of birdwatching. I think the filmmakers tried too hard to make the film normal and mainstream, and attractive to normal, mainstream audiences. Owen Wilson and Steve Martin play two typical movie character types – the kind of men you meet in movies but never in real life – with typical movie character bland, blond, airbrushed, personality-free wives. That was a mistake.

Birdwatching, especially competitive birdwatching, isn't normal and it isn't mainstream. The movie should have upped the quirk quotient and really tried to get close to what it is to be a birdwatcher. A quirkier film, truer to its subject matter, would have been a niche film, but it would have worked better.

I didn't believe Steve Martin or Owen Wilson, two actors I normally like a lot, as birdwatchers. If I ran into these two out in the field, I would not believe that they were birdwatchers at all. I did find Jack Black believable as a birdwatcher. Birdwatchers are obsessive. When birdwatching, we are totally focused on birds. In that, we are like military commanders, or drug addicts, or those obsessively in love. Martin and Wilson never communicated that focus or that command. Black was able to work some of a real birdwatcher's mastery, vulnerability, hope, fascination and dedication into his part.

We saw this movie last night and even though we found it to be somewhat entertaining but I don't think it quite hit the mark. Some of the locations and scenery were beautiful and interesting and I never knew that birders went so far out of the way and spent so much money to follow their hobby. When you assemble a cast headlined by three well known Hollywood actors you expect to be well entertained. Owen Wilson performed a decent role as the protagonist jerk which fits him very well. It was nothing new or adventurous for him and that showed through. Jack Black showed a new side here as he might actually have potential to act in something other than that of a total buffoon. Steve Martin's performance was also just run of the mill and we didn't see much effort in the development of his character. Though there are several big stars associated with this picture it seems as they were mainly going through the motions and just reading off the script.

In summary: Good movie for a Wednesday night at home. Wouldn't waste my money going to the theater to see it.

I'm sorry, but I've to say that people's taste in movies is getting worse by the year. They seem to give high ratings to mindless movies and fail to appreciate the good ones.

The Big Year is a beautiful drama-comedy picture, starring 4 of my favorite comedians - Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Jim Parsons.

It is a touching and heart warming story, which has it's comic points and showcases most valuable life lessons - family coming first, the price people pay for being the greatest in any field, choosing between priorities etc.

It's a wonderful effort and it deserves a watch, and the a minimum 8 star rating.

The Big Year came as a pleasant surprise for me. The flick isn't a conventional comedy. In fact I didn't even laugh out loud once. The movie is a drama packed two hour journey from reality.

Jack Black normally portrays a big lovable child-adult which can become quite annoying after a few of his flicks. In The Big Year however his character develops, has excellent sequences, motives and overall drama. I think this flick is the best Jack Black since King Kong and The Pick of Destiny.

Owen Wilson in his movies mostly a devil may care emo-boy, but in this flick he shows us he actually can act and portrays struggling, developing characters.

Overall the movie isn't groundbreaking and misses 'sparkless' but is definitely worth your while. Also the theme's and setting is amazingly original. 6,8/10

I thought it was refreshing that this was one movie that DIDN'T have much conflict (aside from them going after Owen Wilson's character, that is). Throw in too much conflict in a birding movie, and you quickly tip right over into caricature. It's not the most ruthless pursuit, after all. This stayed the right side of the line.

Interesting characters should always keep the audience engaged, whether the stakes are particularly high, or not.

If you have too many 'moments', then you have formula, and a certain number of beats to be hit, instead of just a story.

I do agree that Steve Martin's character needed a little more shift in his circumstances, from the beginning to where he found himself at the end, but the other two leads had plenty of revelation in their lives - they just didn't make an undue fuss about it.

I didn't expect a birding movie to rock my world in terms of excitement… but the characters were sympathetic and pleasant, which is not something you can say about a lot of modern comedy.

Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson), Stu Preissler (Steve Martin), and Brad Harris (Jack Black) are all bird watchers hoping to break the record for most different species spotted in one year. In short, they want to have The Big Year.

The three competitors criss cross all over the world searching for different species, and is a fascinating look into this strange little community. The three have great likable chemistry. In a break from more recent movies, they are not over the top. It's really a sweet charming movie without so many gross out jokes. Although I could do without the John Cleese narration.

There are only 2 real positives that I can say about this movie. The scenery is beautiful. It is a good clean movie, in terms of no sex, hardly any foul language, and no violence. However, this movie was billed as a comedy. I think there are only a couple of scenes that even warranted a chuckle - forget laughing. There was nothing to laugh about. It is absolutely, not a comedy, so don't go see it if that's what you're looking for! While the main actors are all good actors in their own right - this was a waste of their talent. I would have gotten up and left after the first 30 minutes or so, but knowing that Steve Martin is so incredibly funny, I kept hoping.....I ended up feeling like a dodo bird for staying!

You look at three names featured as main stars (Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson) and you immediately projects seeing them in a comedy, right? Right. But "The Big Year" gives them almost nothing of comic to work with and provides a dramatic piece that seems to entertain a bit to later give you a moral of the story. This was the wrong movie to preach a message to the audience, specially a worn-out message given and expelled thousand times before and in better movies.

To make business worse for this flick: how come this went unnoticed by people even with such leads? Practically straight to video in here. Well, with justice because it's too dead inside and it's too brief in its goodness. "The Big Year" of the title refers to a tradition among bird watchers, a sort of championship between them to see how watches and catalogs more species during a year period. Wilson is the current winner and he promises to beat everyone again, while Martin and Black join the race for the first time after spending a whole time dreaming on entering this and they team up to defeat the arrogant smarty man. It would be OK if it was just that (and one thinks how could a writer make something funny out of this? Well, he doesn't) but no, we follow their family problems, failed marriages or at the brink of it, fathers who couldn't possibly care less about the son's passion in watching birds; or the thoughts that come when you're about to retire yourself from business but people just don't let you go.

Too stiff and too immersed in problems to be a funny picture - once again, this was sold as a comedy - and too easy to make a good drama. A comic movie but where's the jokes, where's the punchlines? Even if it was a R-rated film it wouldn't be funny because there's nothing amusing in there to provoke laughters (except for the Hitchcockian scene). Clichéd as hell, the dramatic moments are nothing less than to make some parallel lines about life/heart/love issues, things that truly matter over pointless obsessions and its costs. If you like the theme I suggest you to watch "Pelican Blood", a darker film though but passionately committed in presenting what being birdwatchers truly means.

It's not much a bad film, it floats quite well in its pacing, you almost enjoy but then it never lives to its potential in become a film filled of humored situations. First rate aspects of this was seeing Rashida Jones imitating bird noises, the only funny parts of the movie; Black and Martin pairing was good and full of positive reflections; and the FM station soundtrack entirely composed of songs with bird on the name, that includes Jack Black's jolly Trashman's ringtone, (now everybody heard about the birds!), that thing plays a lot in the movie. It saddens not because it reduces the trio in such charismatic yet flawed project but because there's a whole bunch of great people in here and they can't do much with what they're given: Dianne Wiest, Kevin Pollak, Rosamund Pike, Anjelica Huston, Brian Dennehy, Tim Blake Nelson, Barry Shabaka Henley, JoBeth Williams, all in minor roles, sometimes good, other times it's just awkward.

It might work to some, I think, it's not that bad, just wasn't so positively interesting for me. 5/10

I enjoyed this film. Jack Black can actually act. Who knew? And Steve Martin hasn't done anything this appealing since "Shopgirl." It's got some funny moments, and at least two laugh-out-loud moments, but mostly it's a movie with heart. And Black's character will tug at yours a little. Beautifully shot and sharply edited. Lovely scenery and wonderful music. I hope this is still in theaters at Thanksgiving, because it would be the perfect family outing (after devouring the Butterball species). The audience in my theater enjoyed it and some even applauded at the end. Eight is an honest vote, though I was tempted to give it a nine.

i would categorize this movie as eclectic rather than comedy. there are a few "light" moments that i guess could be interpreted as funny or comedy, but i interpreted it as just clever moments. they have to market this movie as a comedy because it has 3 "comedy" stars, big ones at that. they are known for the funny to slapstick whoo haaas. so the marketing department did what they did and ran with it to make the movie money.

now..... I've learned to not take whats on the cover of "products" as the one and only truth. u know that cereal u buy isn't the best tasting because it says so on the box, and that isn't the best most trusted aspirin u just ingested because it says so on the label. its called marketing people, and its sole purpose is to sell sell sell.

so even though in the first 20 to 30 minutes of the movie i "knew" that this wasn't what i expected it to be, i dropped all notions and just went with it and took it for what it was. and what it is, is a great all around movie. i enjoyed the acting between the 3 co-stars, the story even though its not anything new, and just let the movie be what it is.

i gave it an honest 7. it kept me engaged and entertained.

Where do I begin......

This movie has Steve Martin (one of the comedy greats in my mind), Owen Wilson, and Jack Black. Where could this movie possibly go wrong? Answer: EVERYWHERE.

The movie starts off on New Years and ends on New Years, it covers the span of an entire year. Coincidentally it felt like an entire year had passed by while watching this movie, it was so slow and unfunny I couldn't believe I just watched the entire thing. I waited on the edge of my seat the entire movie for something, ANYTHING to make me laugh. The few times I laughed on the inside was when Jack Black's phone rang with "Everybodys heard about the bird, ba-ba-ba-bird-bird-bird bird is the word". I can't even begin to think of who this movie was targeted at. Gun to my head I would have to guess: Old retired "birders" or newborns that don't understand comedy and just want eye-candy (it was a scenic movie that was THE ONLY PLUS).

How on earth does this movie have a 5.5 on IMDb? Either there is a strong following of "birders" or the creators of this flick hired a ton of people to up-vote this steaming pile of..... bird crap.

Pros: Big Names Scenic shots

Cons: Not Funny Waste Of My Time I Want My Life Back Seriously I can't Believe I Watched This Horrible Script Horrible Story Bad Acting From Big Names Who Thought This Movie Would Be A Good Idea HOW DID THEY GET THESE ACTORS?! HOW MUCH DID THEY GET PAID?!

In the Big Year, bird-watching ("birding" for those serious about the activity) takes a beautiful backdrop to the story of three men in different stages of life that are all struggling with priorities and what is important in life. Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson all do a great job as lead actors and come across as real bird lovers.

The settings are incredible - taking viewers from Attu Island in the Aleutians to Brownsville, Texas, and everywhere in between. The race to find birds results in many humorous moments between the three competitors as they scour North America in search of rare bird sightings and compete to be the world's best birder.

Steve Martin does a wonderful job as a man on the verge of retirement, who is struggling to let go of his career. His long-time dream to spend a year birding helps him understand what is important in life. Steve's character develops a father-like relationship with Jack Black's aimless computer programmer whose passion is birds. Steve's character provides fatherly guidance and support that helps Jack Black's character move forward with his life and relationships.

Owen Wilson is great as the obsessed world's greatest birder, who does everything that he can to stop his challengers - Steve Martin & Jack Black. The obsession and drive of Owen's character draws anger, jealousy, and respect from his competitors and other birders. Several supporting actors providing some funny moments with their hatred of Owen.

Overall, Big Year is a funny and heart-warming movie that will make you think about your own priorities and dreams...and maybe grab some binoculars and search out some birds.

"I wanted to be the greatest birder in the world." Stu (Martin), Brad (Black), and defending champion Bostick (Wilson) have all decided to the the "Big Year" (a year long competitive bird watching event). In the middle of trying to become the next world champion all three face decisions that are much bigger then the birds. I have said many times that I think about 80% of the way you feel about a movie is based off of expectations about it going in. This is one that I was not looking forward to. A movie about bird watching with Jack Black (I have never been a big fan of his) did not sound appealing to me. Halfway through this movie (and Jack Black) won me over and I really enjoyed this. This movie was about so much more then bird watching. Dealing with some very heavy issues and as much of a drama as a comedy this is a movie very much worth watching. I recommend this. Overall, a good movie and much better then I expected. I don't think I'd watch it again though. I give it a B+.

With the danger of been considered flat and narrow minded I must say that this movie was just OK. When you see these actors you expect so much more. You expect a two hours fun with your family, not a subject that you never heard of, which is not necessarily bad, but makes you think "topics for movies are over". Please don't put actors like these in dull movies. I guess this is my word for the movie. Dull. On the other hand I must agree the sceneries are amazing and there is a scene with eagles that left me breathless. The movie is colorful and gets you to so many places. Good travel guide but a non comedy not even a drama. Why did I watch till the end? I was too sleepy to go away I suppose.