The Post and Courier__________________________________________________ CHARLESTONSCENE.COM ___________________________________________Thursday, October 13, 2011.9E
‘The Big Year’ fails to take wing The Orlando Sentinel
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movie review
★★½ (of 5 stars) CAST: Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. DIRECTOR: David Frankel. RUNNING TIME: One hour and 39 minutes. MPAA RATING: PG for language and some sensuality. WHAT DID YOU THINK?: Find this review at charlestonscene.com and offer your opinion of the film.
laughs, just grins and giggles. There’s no urgency, not enough energy to lift “The Big Year” above a fairly dry account of an odd subculture in our midst. It’s OK to say “Golf is just a hobby,” while birding ” is a calling.” But this is a movie. You need to show why.
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they love; they just know they love it. And their ranks are a quirky, disparate lot. he Big Year” is a Take Brad (Black). He’s an comedy about com- overweight computer codepetitive bird-watch- cruncher for a nuclear power ing. It stars three of the bigplant who spends all his spare gest stars from two generatime and all his cash birding. tions of screen comedy: Steve Then there’s Stu (Steve MarMartin, Owen Wilson and tin). He’s a company presiJack Black. So there’s little dent ready to retire just so time for waxing poetic about he can leave behind his wife our feathered friends. (Jobeth Williams) and their Considering this cast, it’s stunning Aspen estate to not particularly wacky, eispend a year chasing birds. ther. That’s in keeping with Kenny (Owen Wilson) is a the source material, reporter wealthy contractor who holds Mark Obmascik’s book about the current “big year” record. three obsessed and very difAnd he’s so anxious to hang ferent birders piling up the on to his record that he plans numbers in the biggest bird- to travel anywhere, anytime, ing year ever. to better that record, no matWhat this film from the ter how much his wife (Rosadirector of “The Devil Wears mund Pike) wants a baby. Prada” does manage is a Director David Frankel is gentle amiability, much like blessed with this cast and a this “honor system” contest subject that seems ripe for it depicts. These are people gentle lampooning. who can’t articulate what But he never lands big BY ROGER MOORE
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