The Big Year
The Big Year
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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.
匚卂尺ㄥ reviewedFebruary 2, 2025
Birding (bird watching) and the 'Big Year' challenge of spotting as many birds as possible in a year may not seem the most exciting of subjects for a film, but The Big Year manages to engage and entertain throughout.
Jack Black, Steve Martin & Owen Wilson play (essentially themselves) Birders all seeking to set a new record for the number of species spotted.
Whilst badged as a comedy, it's no rip-roarer (Jack Black falls over a couple of times, which is about the extent of it) but the film is certainly light hearted and completely harmless.
I'm not a birder, or particularly interested in our feathered friends, but I was drawn in by the concept and particularly the beautiful scenery across the USA. There are also some really powerful messages within the plot, which are delivered subtly and thoughtfully.
If you want good, clean, family fun with the potential for a few laughs and broadening of the mind then you could do a lot worse.