Rated PG for language and some sensuality
Cast: Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson
Director: David Frankel
Most movies I either recommend or resent. Here is a movie so innocuous and well-intentioned that as I left the theatre, I felt guilty for not enjoying it more than I did.
“The Big Year” is a comedy involving unusual subject matter about endearingly off-beat individuals, and is told with charm, a few good laughs, some terrific performances (especially in the supporting roles) and an eagerness to please. I never really turned on the film, but I knew I wasn’t getting wrapped up in it either, which strangely proved to be more frustrating than viewing movies where I knew why I didn’t enjoy them.
At first I thought it might have been the subject matter itself. After all, I know absolutely nothing about the intricate characteristics of the rare bird, and have generally believed that “birders”--whose love for the hobby is definitely endearing--were either insanely patient or patiently insane. No, that wasn’t it. I thought maybe there should have been more rapid-fire humor. But no, this was clearly intended as a highbrow comedy/drama where the characters’ chief hobby was an allegory for their own lives. Perhaps it was too rounded. Too refined. As crazy as it sounds, maybe the movie was too pleasant for its own good.
Based upon the book by Mark Obmascik, the story is narrated by Brad Harris (Jack Black), a thirty-six-year-old divorcee who is seeking more fulfillment than his nine-to-five desk job will afford. He loves studying birds, and decides to do a "big year" which is a reference to a competition among birders to lay eyes on the highest number of species in a year-long span. His endeavor is met with polar opposite reactions from his parents; his father (Brian Dennehy) demands that he put his fantasies aside to earn a living, though we sense the patriarch's dissatisfaction is bred more from his own inner turmoil (Brad does, after all, have a job). His mother (Dianne Wiest) believes so strongly in him that she willingly surrenders her own credit card to be maxed out if need be on his behalf.
Brad would love nothing more than to break the "Big Year" record, which is currently held by a charming though somewhat pompous birding expert named Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson). His efforts have netted him the world record for birding, but now he finds himself atop the tenuous highwire of keeping the title from the hands of competitors. In addition to Brad Harris, another competitor is Stu Preissler (Steve Martin), a wildly successful businessman who has lived life in the fast lane for so long (his face has graced the cover of several major business publications) that he sees the world of birding as the perfect escape, only to realize that taking the competition too seriously has made him trade one obsession for another. He is constantly hounded by his business colleagues (Joel McHale and Kevin Pollak) but what he really longs for is a life devoid of competitive endeavors.
In addition to the central performances, the movie has some strong acting work in the narrative periphery. My favorites included Brian Dennehy as a man who feels he has failed as a father only to see his son succeed at being happy in finding something he loves, JoBeth Williams as Stu's wife, who perceives what her husband longs for well before he does though keeps her realizations to herself and offers love and support until he realizes it himself. And Rosemund Pike is quietly effective as Kenny's long-suffering spouse, who confesses that she remains in love with him which makes the ending of their union done in a way that crystallizes the tragedy of Kenny's obsession.
Unfortunately, the film falls to the wayside of other movies that have conveyed similar sentiments in both more humorous and more heartfelt manner. Maybe the problem rests in the fact that there isn't quite a strong enough arc. The movie plods along in snippets, offering up bits and pieces of things to care about without ever fully pulling us in. The movie has its moments, but doesn't move beyond being mildly amusing.
* * 1/2 out of * * * * stars
“The Big Year” is a comedy involving unusual subject matter about endearingly off-beat individuals, and is told with charm, a few good laughs, some terrific performances (especially in the supporting roles) and an eagerness to please. I never really turned on the film, but I knew I wasn’t getting wrapped up in it either, which strangely proved to be more frustrating than viewing movies where I knew why I didn’t enjoy them.
At first I thought it might have been the subject matter itself. After all, I know absolutely nothing about the intricate characteristics of the rare bird, and have generally believed that “birders”--whose love for the hobby is definitely endearing--were either insanely patient or patiently insane. No, that wasn’t it. I thought maybe there should have been more rapid-fire humor. But no, this was clearly intended as a highbrow comedy/drama where the characters’ chief hobby was an allegory for their own lives. Perhaps it was too rounded. Too refined. As crazy as it sounds, maybe the movie was too pleasant for its own good.
Based upon the book by Mark Obmascik, the story is narrated by Brad Harris (Jack Black), a thirty-six-year-old divorcee who is seeking more fulfillment than his nine-to-five desk job will afford. He loves studying birds, and decides to do a "big year" which is a reference to a competition among birders to lay eyes on the highest number of species in a year-long span. His endeavor is met with polar opposite reactions from his parents; his father (Brian Dennehy) demands that he put his fantasies aside to earn a living, though we sense the patriarch's dissatisfaction is bred more from his own inner turmoil (Brad does, after all, have a job). His mother (Dianne Wiest) believes so strongly in him that she willingly surrenders her own credit card to be maxed out if need be on his behalf.
Brad would love nothing more than to break the "Big Year" record, which is currently held by a charming though somewhat pompous birding expert named Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson). His efforts have netted him the world record for birding, but now he finds himself atop the tenuous highwire of keeping the title from the hands of competitors. In addition to Brad Harris, another competitor is Stu Preissler (Steve Martin), a wildly successful businessman who has lived life in the fast lane for so long (his face has graced the cover of several major business publications) that he sees the world of birding as the perfect escape, only to realize that taking the competition too seriously has made him trade one obsession for another. He is constantly hounded by his business colleagues (Joel McHale and Kevin Pollak) but what he really longs for is a life devoid of competitive endeavors.
In addition to the central performances, the movie has some strong acting work in the narrative periphery. My favorites included Brian Dennehy as a man who feels he has failed as a father only to see his son succeed at being happy in finding something he loves, JoBeth Williams as Stu's wife, who perceives what her husband longs for well before he does though keeps her realizations to herself and offers love and support until he realizes it himself. And Rosemund Pike is quietly effective as Kenny's long-suffering spouse, who confesses that she remains in love with him which makes the ending of their union done in a way that crystallizes the tragedy of Kenny's obsession.
Unfortunately, the film falls to the wayside of other movies that have conveyed similar sentiments in both more humorous and more heartfelt manner. Maybe the problem rests in the fact that there isn't quite a strong enough arc. The movie plods along in snippets, offering up bits and pieces of things to care about without ever fully pulling us in. The movie has its moments, but doesn't move beyond being mildly amusing.
* * 1/2 out of * * * * stars
