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.
- Awards
- 1 win
John Cleese
- Narrator
- (voice)
Eva Bourne
- Birder's Daughter
- (as Eva Allan)
- Director
- Writers
- Howard Franklin
- Mark Obmascik(inspiration)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAs of 2019, the record for a Big Year in the US is 836 species of birds.
- GoofsAttu 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 creditsDuring the end credits, photos of every bird found by the winner are shown.
- Alternate versionsUK 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.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.14 (2011)
- SoundtracksMinor Swing
Music by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli
Performed by Django Reinhardt
Courtesy of Bluebird/RCA Victor
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
Featured review
'THE BIG YEAR' has medium laughs.
'THE BIG YEAR': Three Stars (Out of Five)
Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson star in this bird watching comedy based on the book 'The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession' by Mark Obmascik. The three play birders (recreational bird watchers) each trying to outdo each other in a 'big year' (a competition in which birders compete to see who can spot the most different species of birds in a single year in a given area, in this case the U.S.). The film was directed by David Frankel (who's also directed such hit comedy films as 'THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA' and 'MARLEY & ME') and written by Howard Franklin. It's not as much of a laugh riot as you might expect coming from the combination of the three big time comedy stars and it's surprisingly clean and lightweight (coming from the three big time comedy stars) but it is much better than the reviews and box office might lead you to believe.
The story is narrated by Brad Harris (Black) as he tells how he followed his dreams, despite lacking much money, and competed in a 'big year' to surprising results, in large part due to the other skilled birders he met along the way: Kenny Bostick (Wilson) and Stu Preissler (Martin). Bostick was the defending champion and known for dishing out a lot of sneaky tricks for throwing off his competitors. Stu was a seasoned vet who becomes a good friend to Brad. The film follows their heated competition as the three desperately try to outdo each other while wrestling with the costs of doing so (mostly family problems at home) as well.
It is interesting to see Black in a pretty clean nice guy role that's not vulgar or buffoonish much at all. He's kind of the central character of the film and it's biggest protagonist. Martin kind of plays the same type of role he usually does, in these family friendly PG rated comedies, while Wilson plays slightly against type by being the film's main antagonist (he still comes off as the same type of wild card he usually does just a little more self centered and rascally than normal). The movie has some touching human drama and strong character development as well. It's not quite as funny as you might hope (like I said), with the three lead actors attached, but it is humorous still (for the most part). The movie is pretty aptly made for it's type and there's really not anything to complain about. I wouldn't say it's a must see comedy but it's not disappointing really in anyway either. The reviews have been harsh and the dim box office results might also lead you to believe the movie doesn't have anything to it but it's surprisingly decent given that information. I think the marketing ultimately cursed it financially and critics will always be overly critical and somewhat absurd in the way they review movies. It's a good film, one I don't think most would regret seeing.
Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj550csrEQk
Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson star in this bird watching comedy based on the book 'The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession' by Mark Obmascik. The three play birders (recreational bird watchers) each trying to outdo each other in a 'big year' (a competition in which birders compete to see who can spot the most different species of birds in a single year in a given area, in this case the U.S.). The film was directed by David Frankel (who's also directed such hit comedy films as 'THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA' and 'MARLEY & ME') and written by Howard Franklin. It's not as much of a laugh riot as you might expect coming from the combination of the three big time comedy stars and it's surprisingly clean and lightweight (coming from the three big time comedy stars) but it is much better than the reviews and box office might lead you to believe.
The story is narrated by Brad Harris (Black) as he tells how he followed his dreams, despite lacking much money, and competed in a 'big year' to surprising results, in large part due to the other skilled birders he met along the way: Kenny Bostick (Wilson) and Stu Preissler (Martin). Bostick was the defending champion and known for dishing out a lot of sneaky tricks for throwing off his competitors. Stu was a seasoned vet who becomes a good friend to Brad. The film follows their heated competition as the three desperately try to outdo each other while wrestling with the costs of doing so (mostly family problems at home) as well.
It is interesting to see Black in a pretty clean nice guy role that's not vulgar or buffoonish much at all. He's kind of the central character of the film and it's biggest protagonist. Martin kind of plays the same type of role he usually does, in these family friendly PG rated comedies, while Wilson plays slightly against type by being the film's main antagonist (he still comes off as the same type of wild card he usually does just a little more self centered and rascally than normal). The movie has some touching human drama and strong character development as well. It's not quite as funny as you might hope (like I said), with the three lead actors attached, but it is humorous still (for the most part). The movie is pretty aptly made for it's type and there's really not anything to complain about. I wouldn't say it's a must see comedy but it's not disappointing really in anyway either. The reviews have been harsh and the dim box office results might also lead you to believe the movie doesn't have anything to it but it's surprisingly decent given that information. I think the marketing ultimately cursed it financially and critics will always be overly critical and somewhat absurd in the way they review movies. It's a good film, one I don't think most would regret seeing.
Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj550csrEQk
helpful•3025
- Hellmant
- Oct 17, 2011
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Săn Tìm Chim Quý
- Filming locations
- Attu, Alaska, USA(Attu Island)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- 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
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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