Film Review: Owen Wilson, Steve Martin, Jack Black Flock Up in ‘The Big Year’

Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 15, 2011 - 1:06am

CHICAGO – “The Big Year” is advertised as a comedy. The subject is bird watching, or as the new film likes to express the proper term, “birding.” It stars comic legend Steve Martin, and funnymen Jack Black and Owen Wilson. It is both not funny and is ACTUALLY, seriously about birding. Time to fly away.

Rating: 2.0/5.0

“The Big Year” amazes in so many ways, all of which are negative. It wastes a monumental amount of talent. Besides Martin, Black and Wilson, it includes Oscar winners Anjelica Huston and Dianne Wiest, indie film favorites Tim Blake Nelson and Brian Dennehy, plus top TV personalities Rashida Jones, Joel McHale and Jim Parsons. If this much waste was spewed by a factory, there would be million dollar fines from the E.P.A.

Owen Wilson plays Kenny Bostick, the top bird watcher in the United States (apparently this exists. USA! USA!). In one year, called a “Big Year,” he sighted 732 different types of birds. The arouses the cult of birding, which includes Brad (Jack Black) and retiring super-mogul Stu (Steve Martin). They both set out to do their own Big Year, and soon develop a friendship that will bond together to defeat the rival Bostick.

There is much that is sacrificed in pursue of the birds. Stu is leaving behind an important business deal, Brad has a father (Brian Dennehy) that will never understand him and Kenny has a wife that wants to get pregnant. But the birding obsession comes first, aided by charter boat captain Annie Auklet (Anjelica Huston), fellow birder Fuchs (Tim Blake Nelson), the ever-present Ellie (Rashida Jones) and an on-line blogger name Ichabod “Crane” (Jim Parsons).

“The Big Year” opens everywhere October 14th. Featuring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Steve Martin, Rashida Jones, Tim Blake Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Dianne Wiest, Brian Dennehy, Anjelica Huston and Jim Parsons. Screenplay by Howard Franklin. Directed by David Frankel. Rated “PG”