Sunday, June 24, 2012

A Movie Review: The Big Year

The Big Year.  (Note: I caught this movie on a small airplane screen.) This movie revolves around three men who are off to see the most bird species ever in the continental US. The year is important due to weather conditions, which will result in a number of birds flying over the US. Two of the men are wealthy, while one has a day job. One individual (Owen Wilson) owns a construction company. He is obsessed with bird watching and holds the all time record for bird watching. How he is able to keep his company going while taking a year off work is hard to understand, but he can. The second is a former CEO (Steve Martin) who has entered retirement (though is still called on to consult). Going for “The Big Year” was always his dream. The third is a computer programmer (Jack Black). He is hardly wealthy as he only has 5k to start off his adventure. Like the CEO, this is also his first attempt at “The Big Year.”

Though the movie is meant to be comedic (look at who the actors are) there are some insightful moments that deal with family. The first is so obsesses that a previous marriage fell apart when he went for his first record year. The CEO’s wife (who probably is used to his being gone for weeks on end) is very supportive. The third has a father who is in confusion over his son’s decision.

One does laugh at these folks – though I’m sure actual bird watchers take their hobby more seriously. It is a tame movie that makes you more away of the birds the fly by as you're out and about.


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