The Big Year

Movie: The Big Year

Genre: comedy-drama

Synopsis: A “Big Year” is when a birder sees how many species of birds he/she can sight in one calendar year.  This is based on an actual “Big Year”.   Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) is the reigning American record holder in birding – with over 700 species sighted in one calendar year.  Brad Harris (Jack Black) is a 36 year-old divorcee who lives with his parents.  He lives for bird-watching.  His father (Brian Dennehy) considers Brad to be a loser and his hobby a complete waste of time.  Brad decides to attempt a “Big Year” on a tight budget while holding down a full-time job.  Stu Preissler (Steve Martin) is a wealthy company owner who has just retired for the 2^nd time.  He is determined to fulfill his dream of doing a “Big Year”.  Over his wife’s (Rosamund Pike) vehement objections, Kenny also decides to do another “Big Year”.  The movie follows the three throughout the year as Kenny puts birding ahead of everything – including his wife, Stu tries to put his career behind him, and Brad tries to reconcile with his father and to start a relationship with another birder.

My two cents: A really fun movie. Owen Wilson plays a great jerk, Jack Black and Steve Martin were also great..  The movie gave a peek inside the world of birding.  The encyclopedic knowledge of these birders is amazing.  I also enjoyed the ending.  Definitely a movie worth seeing.

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