The Big Year

I was not encouraged by the opening moments of The Big Year. The movie seemed pleasant and harmless enough, but it seemed to lack energy, particularly the energy you would expect in a movie that teams up Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. But then, a funny thing started to happen. I found myself liking the characters they were playing, and getting wrapped up in the year-long competitive birdwatching contest they were in. The laughs found in film aren't exactly big ones, but the movie gets by on plenty of charm and some gorgeously shot nature footage.

The title refers to an event that attracts birdwatchers from all over the world as they compete and travel across the US to spot as many different species of birds as they can within a single calendar year. The current champion is Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson), a cocky and arrogant contractor who has put so much into gaining his champion title, as well as defending it, that his marriage to his wife Barbara (Rosamund Pike) is starting to suffer back home. Our other two main characters are upstarts, hoping to top Kenny's current record. First we have Brad Harris (Jack Black), a guy who has never finished anything he attempted in life, still lives with his parents (Brian Dennehy and Dianne Wiest), and thinks having a "big year" could turn things around for him. His mother supports him, giving him plenty of credit cards to use to travel across the US, while his father thinks the kid's wasting his time. Finally, there's Stu Preissler (Steve Martin), a wealthy businessman on the verge of retirement, who wants to kick things off by going on the year-long "birding" expedition he's long dreamed of.

The bulk of the film consists of the three men going cross country for 12 months, with Brad and Stu eventually teaming up with each other, while Kenny mainly acts as the film's antagonist, and resorts to various betrayals and tricks to throw the other two guys (and the other competition) off the trail, so that he can hold onto his record. Along the way, we meet a wide variety of other "birders", who are played by such recognizable actors as Anjelica Huston, Tim Blake Nelson, Rashida Jones, and Jim Parsons (from TV's The Big Bang Theory). The birdwatching stuff is oddly compelling. A score counter occasionally pops up, keeping track of how many the three main characters have spotted so far. Their journey across the U.S., as well as their down time during their travels, also allows for some interesting self-inspection, as the three men look at their current lives, and where they are. There's also some drama back at home, such as when Brad's father falls ill, or Kenny's increasingly-frustrated and pregnant wife. These moments are honest and heartfelt, giving some actual weight to a movie that could have been total fluff.

The film is also beautifully shot, and gives us a travelogue of such far off places as the barren reaches of Alaska, all the way to the deep South. Watching the film, I was also impressed to learn how much goes into one of these competitions. Competitive "birders" must constantly be on top of changing weather patterns, as a rare storm could bring out a large number of rare birds from hiding. The Big Year takes this stuff as seriously as the characters do, and while it certainly loses some opportunities for big laughs, I did find it oddly compelling. It was quite amazing how much goes into the competition, and how much money these people spend traveling to some far off place at a moment's notice, because they heard that a rare snow owl was spotted somewhere. How wealthy does one have to be to pull off a big year? Martin's character, we understand, is a millionaire and practically retired, so that makes sense. But, I did sort of wonder about Black (who is shown having a job from time to time) and Wilson (who is never shown at work once).

Leaps of logic aside, this is a gentle, and oddly intriguing little movie that won me over as it went along. Director David Frankel (Marley & Me) keeps things relatively grounded in reality for the most part, focusing on his likable characters, rather than on broad comic set pieces. There's very little slapstick to be found, most of the humor coming from how passionate these men are about their hobby. Would I have liked to have laughed out loud at the movie more? Of course. But, I did chuckle from time to time, and smiled even more while watching it. That's proof enough for me the movie was working the way it was intended. This is a "rainy day" movie - Nothing that you need to race out to the theater to see, but if you're bored, or if it's ever on TV, you'll probably find yourself wrapped up into it.

If anything, The Big Year surprised me in how it made competitive birdwatching fascinating. I walked in knowing what the movie was about (the ad campaign has kind of covered over the whole birdwatching aspect), and wasn't exactly thrilled about what I was about to see. But, I guess you could say I walked out a changed man. I'm not about to go on my own big year anytime soon, but I now have more respect for those who do.

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