Avian Antics
by John Daly Updated: Friday, 2nd December, 2011 9:30am
Off to find themselves...Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson take off across the States in a bird-watching contest.
The Big Year - Personally speaking, it's always been hard to distinguish a blue tit from a chaffinch - so obviously my credentials to join even the most amateur bird-watching club would be severely compromised.
Though it's often been the butt of countless jokes and innuendo, the humble activity of observing the aerial antics of our fine feathered friends attracts millions around the globe. Makes one wonder why it took Hollywood so long to get around to making a movie about this universal pastime.
A trio of likely lads - Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson - are at a crossroads, each experiencing individual varieties of crisis. Tired of living their life clocks by obligations and responsibilities, the threesome decide to dedicate a year of their lives to following their common dream - a decision that takes them on a cross-country journey where the best and worst of their characters will find its way to the surface.
Everyone is searching for something, and Stu Preissler (Steve Martin), Brad Harris (Jack Black) and Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) are determined to not only find their individual "something," but to be the very best at it.
While most of us may daydream about becoming a supreme athlete, best-selling author or award-winning artist, Stu, Brad and Kenny want nothing less than adulation as the world's greatest 'birder' as they race across the US of A in whirlwind competition to see who can spot the most species of birds within one calendar year.
Loosely adapted from author Mark Obmascik's award-winning non-fiction book, the film is directed by David Frankel, who also helmed another smash hit of a similar nature, 'Marley & Me'. The film lifts the lid on the competitive nature of bird watching, a place where the stakes are low, there's no prizemoney, and precious little glory or fame.
Each man has his own agenda - Stu to get off the corporate treadmill and make some genuine friends; Brad to rescue his failed life by being good at something, and Kenny to build on his record of having seen 732 different species of birds in one calendar year - the crowning glory of his career.
Despite the comedic credentials of the main players, 'The Big Year' is no knee-slapping laugh but rather a gently humorous stroll through an activity misunderstood by most outsiders.
Birders - they don't answer to bird-watchers in America, apparently - never cheat, but they are capable of small acts of one-gunmanship as seen by Kenny's constant efforts to distract his pals when rare species are flying by. The relatively unsullied innocence of the sport is underlined with no trophies, no financial reward, no adulation of any sort - only a passing mention in a magazine.
The script by Howard Frankel plays to the whimsical, and a solid supporting cast in the form of John Cleese as narrator, Rosamund Pike and Kevin Pollack mostly plug the weaker holes in the plot.
A simple little movie about an obscure topic that delivers education and smiles in equal measure. A pleasant surprise.
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