The Big Year (2011)

Two bird enthusiasts try to defeat the cocky, cutthroat world record holder in a year-long bird-spotting competition.

Director:

David Frankel

Writers:

Howard Franklin (screenplay), Mark Obmascik (book)

Stars:

Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Steve Martin

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Cleese	...	Narrator (voice)
Jack Black	...	Brad Harris
Zahf Paroo	...	Prasad
Stacey Scowley	...	Vicki
Michael Karl Richards	...	Vicki's Fiancée
Owen Wilson	...	Kenny Bostick
Rosamund Pike	...	Jessica
Steve Martin	...	Stu Preissler
Kevin Pollak	...	Jim Gittelson
Joel McHale	...	Barry Loomis
JoBeth Williams	...	Edith
Paul Campbell	...	Tony
Cindy Busby	...	Susie
Greg Kean	...	Computer Birder
Eva Bourne	...	Birder's Daughter (as Eva Allan)

Storyline

In birding, a Big Year is seeing or hearing as many different species of birds as possible in a calendar year. Three men pursue the Birder of the Year title: Kenny Bostick, who's seen a record 732 in a past big year, Stu Preissler, newly retired, and Brad Harris, who narrates the story. Life gets in the way: Bostick's wife wants a baby, Stu's firm needs him for sensitive negotiations, and Brad, divorced and underemployed at 36, has an encouraging mom and a disapproving dad. They criss-cross the continent (including a trip to Alaska's westernmost island), follow migration patterns, and head for storms that force birds to ground. Who will win, at what cost, and with what rewards?

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Plot Keywords:

alaska | journey shown on map | attu alaska | migration | storm | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and some sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

El gran año

Filming Locations:

Shannon Falls, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$41,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,251,884, 16 October 2011, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$7,204,138, 18 December 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures,Red Hour Films,Deuce Three Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby SDDS Datasat Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jim Parsons plays an avid bird blogger in this film. His character on The Big Bang Theory (2007) ironically has a serious phobia of birds.

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Goofs

Attu island is not closer to Tokyo than Anchorage. Anchorage is 1440 miles from the island, Tokyo is closer to 2000 miles away.

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Quotes

[from trailer]
Brad Harris: There is going to be major fallout in a few hours.
Bill Clemont: Nuclear fallout?
Brad Harris: Bird fallout.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, photos of every bird found by the winner are shown.

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Connections

Spoofs The Birds (1963)

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Soundtracks

Away with Pie
Written by Daniel DiPrima and Alex Marlowe
Performed by Zombie Bank

User Reviews

They had me at Nutting flycatcher...

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.