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IMDbPro

The Big Year

  • 2011
  • PG
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
46K
YOUR RATING
Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black in The Big Year (2011)
Three avid bird watchers compete to spot the rarest birds in North America at a prestigious annual event.
Play trailer1:54
14 Videos
58 Photos
Comedy

Two bird enthusiasts try to defeat the cocky, cutthroat world record holder in a year-long bird-spotting competition.Two bird enthusiasts try to defeat the cocky, cutthroat world record holder in a year-long bird-spotting competition.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
    • Mark Obmascik
  • Stars
    • Owen Wilson
    • Jack Black
    • Steve Martin
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    46K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David Frankel
    • Writers
      • Howard Franklin
      • Mark Obmascik
    • Stars
      • Owen Wilson
      • Jack Black
      • Steve Martin
    • 183User reviews
    • 103Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Videos14

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 1:54
    Watch U.S. Version
    "The Bridge"
    Clip 1:09
    Watch "The Bridge"
    "Stu's Advice"
    Clip 0:45
    Watch "Stu's Advice"
    "Sea Sick Stu"
    Clip 1:06
    Watch "Sea Sick Stu"
    "Stu and Brad Scare Kenny"
    Clip 1:16
    Watch "Stu and Brad Scare Kenny"
    The Big Year: The Bridge
    Clip 1:08
    Watch The Big Year: The Bridge
    The Big Year: Sea Sick Stu
    Clip 1:05
    Watch The Big Year: Sea Sick Stu
    The Big Year: Stu And Brad Scare Kenny
    Clip 1:15
    Watch The Big Year: Stu And Brad Scare Kenny
    The Big Year: Stu's Advice
    Clip 0:44
    Watch The Big Year: Stu's Advice
    The Big Year: Jack Black On What Attracted Him To The Film
    Featurette 0:48
    Watch The Big Year: Jack Black On What Attracted Him To The Film
    The Big Year: Rashida Jones On Ellie
    Featurette 0:29
    Watch The Big Year: Rashida Jones On Ellie
    The Big Year: Owen Wilson On His Character
    Featurette 0:27
    Watch The Big Year: Owen Wilson On His Character

    Photos58

    Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black in The Big Year (2011)
    Steve Martin and Jack Black in The Big Year (2011)
    Jack Black and Rashida Jones in The Big Year (2011)
    Owen Wilson in The Big Year (2011)
    Steve Martin and Owen Wilson in The Big Year (2011)
    Jack Black in The Big Year (2011)
    Jack Black, Rashida Jones, and Tim Blake Nelson in The Big Year (2011)
    Steve Martin and Jack Black in The Big Year (2011)
    Steve Martin in The Big Year (2011)
    Owen Wilson and Tim Blake Nelson in The Big Year (2011)
    Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black in The Big Year (2011)
    Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black in The Big Year (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Owen Wilson
    Owen Wilson
    • Kenny Bostick
    Jack Black
    Jack Black
    • Brad Harris
    Steve Martin
    Steve Martin
    • Stu Preissler
    John Cleese
    John Cleese
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Zahf Paroo
    Zahf Paroo
    • Prasad
    Stacey Scowley
    Stacey Scowley
    • Vicki
    Michael Karl Richards
    Michael Karl Richards
    • Vicki's Fiancée
    Rosamund Pike
    Rosamund Pike
    • Jessica
    Kevin Pollak
    Kevin Pollak
    • Jim Gittelson
    Joel McHale
    Joel McHale
    • Barry Loomis
    JoBeth Williams
    JoBeth Williams
    • Edith
    Paul Campbell
    Paul Campbell
    • Tony
    Cindy Busby
    Cindy Busby
    • Susie
    Greg Kean
    Greg Kean
    • Computer Birder
    Eva Bourne
    Eva Bourne
    • Birder's Daughter
    • (as Eva Allan)
    Bill Dow
    Bill Dow
    • Dr. Paul Elkin
    Barry Shabaka Henley
    Barry Shabaka Henley
    • Dr. Neil Kramer
    Dianne Wiest
    Dianne Wiest
    • Brenda
    • Director
      • David Frankel
    • Writers
      • Howard Franklin(screenplay)
      • Mark Obmascik(book "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession") (inspiration)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      As of 2019, the record for a Big Year in the US is 836 species of birds.
    • Goofs
      Attu island is not closer to Tokyo than Anchorage. Anchorage is 1440 miles from the island, Tokyo is closer to 2000 miles away.
    • Quotes

      On Screen Text: [first lines, the text that appears on screen] This is a true story.

      On Screen Text: Only the facts have been changed.

    • Crazy credits
      During the end credits, photos of every bird found by the winner are shown.
    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.14 (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      Minor Swing
      Music by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli

      Performed by Django Reinhardt

      Courtesy of Bluebird/RCA Victor

      By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

    User reviews183

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Surprisingly good
    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
    helpful•21
    3
    • TheLittleSongbird
    • Mar 1, 2015

    FAQ1

    • What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Extended Cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 14, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Săn Tìm Chim Quý
    • Filming locations
      • Attu, Alaska, USA(Attu Island)
    • Production companies
      • Fox 2000 Pictures
      • Red Hour Films
      • Deuce Three Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $41,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $7,204,138
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,251,884
      • Oct 16, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $8,179,416
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
      • SDDS
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

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