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:

attu alaska | storm | competition | alaska | birding | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steve Martin wrote much of the music in his 2011 album, "Rare Bird Alert" (Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers), while on the set for this movie.

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Goofs

Brad's friend Crane looks at Stu's book and reports that by May 8, Stu has 497 species. Yet when the audience see the book, it is filled in for 498 species.

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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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Alternate Versions

UK BluRay sports an Extended Cut of the film, adding a good six minutes of minor background information on the three main characters and special birds. It also replaces Jack Black's narration of the story with a new narration by John Cleese who also receives a credit in the opening title sequence.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.14 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Pitkin County Turnaround
Written and Performed by Steve Martin
Courtesy of 40 Share Productions, Inc./Rounder Records

User Reviews

Highly Underrated

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA Canada

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

Gross USA:

$7,204,138

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,179,416

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, Red Hour Films, Deuce Three Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SDDS Datasat Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1