Synopsis
Three fanatical bird-watchers spend an entire year competing to spot the highest number of species as El Nino sends an extraordinary variety of rare breeds flying up into the U.S., but they quickly discover that there are more important things than coming out on top of the competition.
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Cast
- Steve MartinStu Preissler
- Jack BlackBrad Harris
- Owen WilsonKenny Bostick
- Brian DennehyRaymond Harris
- Anjelica HustonAnnie Auklet
- Rashida JonesEllie
- Rosamund PikeJessica
- Dianne WiestBrenda Harris
- JoBeth WilliamsEdith
- Anthony AndersonBill Clemont
Recommendations
- 75
Chicago Sun-Times
The Big Year is getting the enthusiastic support of the Audubon Society, and has an innocence and charm that will make it appealing for families, especially those who have had enough whales and dolphins for the year. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
The uniformly winning cast, led by Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson, and the ultra-accessible touch provided by director David Frankel provide for a constant steam of gentle mirth, if not huge laughs. - 70
Movieline
Genial and mild, The Big Year doesn't give in to the temptation to juice up its story with outsized caricatures or inflated dramas. - 67
Entertainment Weekly
The more I sat through it, the more it won me over in its very benign high-concept way. It's like "City Slickers" remade for the Discovery Channel. - 63
Orlando Sentinel
What this film from the director of "The Devil Wears Prada" does manage is a gentle amiability. - 50
Observer
I wish all the agony in The Big Year was leading up to something fascinating in the end, but the most inviting thing in the movie was the exit door. - 50
Variety
Director David Frankel's picture delivers sweet and (more rarely) amusing moments, but this odd duck never completely gets off the ground. - 42
The A.V. Club
In The Big Year co-stars Owen Wilson and Jack Black appear on the verge of succumbing to the same terminal blandness that's gripped Martin for so long.
