Review of The Big Year (2011) by Josh V — 02 Apr 2012
If your expectations are not overly high and you enjoy travel, silly competitions, or bird watching, The Big Year (released in 2011) can be a fairly enjoyable light comedy. The characters trek throughout the US competing with each other to set the world record for spotting the most species of birds in one year.
Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson are an odd grouping, but many of the jokes work well, though some do not. Using composite characters, the story is roughly based on true events and a book from 1998.
Their crazy antics and exhaustive effort in pursuit of a seemingly laughable goal comprise the movieâ(TM)s heart. Curiously, the trailer completely concealed the filmâ(TM)s plot about bird watching, attempting to frame it as a simplistic comedy about three bumbling adversaries traveling around the country.
This was probably a sign of the movieâ(TM)s limited appeal, a partial explanation for its status as a box office failure.
This review of The Big Year (2011) was written by Josh V on 02 Apr 2012.
The Big Year has generally received mixed reviews.
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