Ed's Review Dot Com

Fox 2000 Pictures, Red Hour Films, Deuce Three Productions,

Jack Black, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Rashida Jones, Joel McHale, Jim Parsons, Rosamund Pike

Brad Harris (Jack Black) is a young gentleman, working full time, but living with Mom and Dad. Brad is constantly put down by his Dad for his hobby of searching for birds. We are told that “A BIG YEAR” is a tradition where someone sets out to try for the worlds record of finding and identifying as many different species of birds as possible in one year, from Jan 1 through Dec 31. Brad is out to do his big year, but the world champion, Kenny Bostick suspicious that someone may be out to take his world record, so he sets out on a clandestine “Big Year” of his own. While on the trail, Brad runs into an elderly birder, Stu Pressler, who single handedly built a huge corporation from scratch, but now wants to retire and do a “Big Year” of his own. Brad and Stu decide the only way to beat Bostick is to work together to help each other, as the three of them travel all over the country to locate the latest rare bird sighting.

I must say that I was completely caught off guard by this movie. I had no expectations going in, and imagine my delight at finding all these people in the film. From the Big 3, to such surprises as Rosamund Pike, Kevin Polak, Joel HcHale, Rashida Jones, JoBeth Wiliams, and more, I was blown away. But
the biggest delight was Anjelica Huston in a charming and very, very funny role. This films was less about the birds, (although I guarantee you’ll learn at least a dozen things you didn’t know before) but the drive, obsession, and disappointment and desperation of this chase. The photography is wonderful and stunning, from the Everglades, to the desert, to the last point of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and everywhere in-between, the views are spectacular. But the best part is that it is really, really funny. I enjoyed this film from the opening historical montage narrated by John Cleese to the final moments when we find out who had “The Big Year” in the end. I was thoroughly entertained by this movie, and I highly recommend it for adults and kids alike.

And did I tell you about the birdies? Wow. I promise you’ll enjoy this one!

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