THE BIG YEAR DVD (2011)

SYNOPSIS: Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson form "a comic dream team" (Jeff Craig, Sixty Second Preview) in this smart, funny comedy from the director of The Devil Wears Prada and Marley & Me. Looking to shake up their routine lives, three amateur bird watchers compete to become the ultimate "birder" by spotting the greatest number of species within a single calendar year. But the friendly rivalry soon turns into a hilariously complicated cross-country adventure as each man begins to realize that the quest for success comes at a price - and that's not chicken feed!

MOVIE REVIEW:

Despite the presence of three finest comedians of all time, “The Big Year” is definitely not a low-brow or slapstick comedy. It’s simply a drama based on a book written by a guy called Mark Obmascik and directed by David Frankel who did “The Devil Loves Prada” and “Marley & Me”.   

I guess it’s far easier to do a movie about pandas than birds since more people are receptive to the furry creatures which originated from Sichuan. Then again, pandas can’t fly and they only come in black and white. For the uninitiated and according to Wikipedia, a big year is an informal competition among birders to see who can spot or hear the largest species of birds within a calendar year. Owen Wilson plays Kenny Bostick, a current big year record holder who is not ready to retire. Jack Black is Brad Harris, a cash-strap, newly divorced computer programmer who is embarking on his first big year and Steve Martin plays a rich CEO who is deciding whether or not to do his big year. Will birding lead this unlikely trio to finally search for what they want? Most importantly, who will win the big year in the end?

While this is a movie about birding, it is not exactly a crude, ridiculous look into the competitive environment in fact if you are a follower of director David Frankel’s movies, you know he is not into Prada or the fashion world in “The Devil Wears Prada” or simply raising a dog called Marley in “Marley & Me”, he surrounds his movies with believable characters and motives and right here he has a story to tell in the form of three men facing their mid-life crisis. Just that, he puts them in a seldom seen subject- birding, for a change.

Even if you are not a birding enthusiast or nature, it’s not that hard to follow the trio in their competition. The digital stills and real birds do keep things interesting. But it’s the humans we care about, Brad Harris who struggles to keep up with his birding trips with the help from an understanding mother. Stu Preissler who learnt that money isn’t everything and lastly, the ever competitive, kiasu Kenny Bostick who end up loses more than he won. Simple life lessons are conveyed to us in such enjoyable, saccharin ways that you will find it hard to resist the charms of these guys despite not being their usual goofy selves.

In addition, Frankel surrounds his movies with cameos from talented people like Anjelica Huston who plays a no-nonsense boater and a short scene with Wilson’s character reminds us of their usual collaboration with Wes Anderson. Other familiar faces include Rosamund Pike who plays Bostick’s long-suffering second wife for the record. Jim Parsons from “The Big Bang Theory” appears as a birding blogger, Rashida Jones (The Muppets) plays Brad’s love interest, Anthony Anderson (Transformers) as Brad’s boss and Tim Blake Nelson as a fellow birder. Oh and British comedian John Cleese lends his voice as the narrator.

“The Big Year” is a wonderful charming movie that doesn’t deserve the cold shoulder it got when it was dumped quietly into theaters last year. Perhaps the combination of three big names, Wilson, Martin and Black makes a small movie into a big one even the nature of it is not.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There’s 5 minutes of Gag Reel not particularly funny but at least the cast seems to be having a good time.  

AUDIO/VISUAL:

There’s nothing much to shout about regarding the audio and visual aspect of “The Big Year”. Colour tones are natural though images are not as sharp as it ought to be. The inclusion of some strong ambient effects together with a perfunctory music score makes a pleasant listening experience.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee