It's New Year's Day. Our first film in the Film366 project celebrates the new year. Many films take place on New Year's eve or New Year's day, but we wanted a film that encompasses the entire year and, in this case, an entire year of bird watching. Film366.com Presents The Big Year (2011) as your film for tonight !!
Run Time: 100 mins
Genre: Comedy
Format: Widescreen Format, Color
Director: David Frankel
Starring: Jack Black, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Dianne Weist and Brian Dennehy
IMDB.com Entry for the film:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1053810/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Wikipedia Article for the Film:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Year
Wikipedia Article for the real Big Year:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_year
Trailer on YouTube:
I think I finally have a favorite Jack Black movie. I’m not sure what genre or sub-genre of film I should call this film, because it is not a knock-down, laugh-riot Comedy or even a mushy Romantic Comedy and it is not a Drama either. It is a cute story about three guys with an odd hobby, the lives they leave behind to enjoy this hobby and what happens to their lives when it is over. It is a great film to celebrate on New Year’s Day, because the whole film takes place a few days before New Year’s Day and ends at the next New Year’s Day. One note; the narration in the original Theatrical Version is different than the narration on the Extended DVD Version. There will be more on that bit of information later.
Brad (Black), Stu (Steve Martin) and Bostick (Owen Wilson) are three, very different guys, who love the fine recreational activity known as Bird Watching and they are all taking part in the honor-driven, unofficial, secret sight-seeing tournament known as The Big Year. The goal is to see as many birds as possible in one-calendar year and break the record set the year before by Bostick (732). What drives this film so well is the Animal Planet-esque, inspired voice-over of John Cleese, who gives the viewer an insight into information about some of the species, shot over top of beautiful scenery (some of it done in CGI, but we’ll take it, because it is executed so well), intertwined with our characters running around North America chasing birds and sandwiched in between moments when the boys come home to their families and lives during the work week (the Cleese narration found on the Extended Version is the one I recommend, because the narration in the theatrical version is of Jack Black and I feel that takes away from the film’s true impact). - Phil
The Big Year- Audubon Clip
This is a clip from YouTube featuring the first 1:20 of the film with a brief history on the Big Year narrated by John Cleese.
Brad is a 36-year-old divorcee, who works as a software tech at a Power Plant in Pennsylvania, who lives with his parents, Raymond (Brian Dennehy) and Brenda (Dianne Weist) and is an expert at knowing a species of bird, just from hearing its song or chirp. Stu is a retiring CEO of a billion dollar company, who sees the light at the end of the tunnel, with hopes of retiring for good from corporate life. And, Bostick, the self-proclaimed, greatest Bird Watcher in the World, who is also married to a very beautiful woman (Rosamund Pike), who desperately wants to have a baby.
All three men lead different lives, but share the same love of birds. Having a recreational outdoor hobby is a good thing, but some people may think something like this is a little weird. Everybody has passions and things they like. These guys love birds. They are addicted to the search, the adventure and the need to see their feathery friends and it becomes, almost a religion to them. It becomes as important to them as the survival of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, who has to take her dangerous trek across the Gulf of Mexico every year. It is the journey and the plight of the bird juxtaposed with the plight and adventure of Brad, Stu and Bostick. The big question is; who is smarter? Is it the Birders or the bird? - Phil
Wikipedia Article for Director David Frankel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Frankel
As I mentioned before, this is not a knock-down, laugh riot comedy. I feel director David Frankel, who also directed The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Marley & Me (2008), dialed back the comedy so you could concentrate more on the story and it also helped him justify the contrast and comparison between all of the characters in the film. When you are dealing with multiple characters, you also have to deal with multiple plot lines. All three of these men have back stories that keep getting fleshed out more and more every time they are on the screen. They have to be or else you miss the message. Which brings me back to Jack Black and his father played by Dennehy. If you are laughing too hard you will miss the most revealing parts of the film. The journey Black and his father take in the film, alone, is worth the price of admission and that is about 10% of what the film has to deliver to you.
It is more of a cute story about an interesting hobby and even though the laughs are not abundant, there is a message in the film. A message that conveys peace and harmony between man and Mother Nature. That all the things in this world are intertwined together and work as a whole to keep life living. It also conveys a message to not allow your interests or addictions take over the rest of your life, because if you aren’t careful it could end in disaster. The lives of our heroes in this film eventually flip-flop with each other so that two of our heroes find happiness, while the other loses everything, because he couldn’t control his desire to see the bird. Well, I’m glad I saw this gem of a film that was over-looked at the Box Office, because it shouldn’t be missed. It tells a story about all of Mother Nature’s creatures and the desire and dangers in finding happiness. - Phil
JUST FOR FUN: Audubon's David Yarnold Interviews Big Year Cast. Watch the YouTube video:
Click the link below at GoWatchIt.com to see where you can stream or watch the Big Year (2011) online or on TV right now.
http://gowatchit.com/movies/the-big-year-264095
Or check out TVGuide.com to see if this film is playing on TV/Cable in your area:
http://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-big-year/332284/
CHECK IN TOMORROW for our next film of the day !!!
~ Phil
And Another Thing... (a note from Chris)
I am an actual "casual birder" myself. Here's my bird list from last year...
Follow Chris's board 50 Birds in 2015 on Pinterest.
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