The movie “The Big Year” opened on Friday, Oct. 14. In the movie, bird watchers compete in a Big Year event to see who can gather the most sightings of different rare species of birds in North America.
“The Big Year” follows Stu Preissler, Brad Harris, and Kenny Bostick played by Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson respectively, as they compete to be the No. 1 birder in the country. Wilson’s character Bostick is the obsessive title defender. He holds the record as the No. 1 birder in the nation and is determined to keep it that way. Martin’s Preissler is trying to retire from years as a successful businessman. He is using the Big Year to give him something to focus on instead of his job. Black’s character Harris is a lifelong dreamer and underdog in the competition.
Along the way, movie watchers see the beautiful scenery and many interesting and rare birds. As the men compete, movie watchers are given the chance to see what these men’s priorities are as they face choices between birds and the rest of their lives.
The central message of the movie is about getting priorities in order. The men in this movie have to figure out what is most important to them: winning the Big Year, being with the family they have, forming new relationships or focusing on their individual careers.
The movie is a comedy and though it has funny moments it carries the strong signature characters of its major actors. Black’s and Martin’s characters in this movie parallel their characters in previous movies. This parallel causes the movie to lose appeal to those who do not enjoy the particular humor in Black’s and Martin’s other movies. Having common characters takes away the surprise aspect of humor because you already know the character from previous movies and therefore know how they will respond to a situation.
It was rated PG for language and some sensuality and followed a fairly simple plot line. Despite the slightly disappointing acting it was an enjoyable movie that carried an overall positive message.
