The Big Year (1:40) 2011

Three men, Jack Black, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, are avid birders who devote a year to zigzagging the country as they race to see the most birds in a one year period. Based on the book, The Big Year, the three birders are in competition with each other to see or hear more than 700 birds in very interesting locations. The travel to the Brownsville, Texas dump, Attu Island in Alaska and many national parks. In order to see pelagic birds, they take boats trips which is very trying when seasickness strikes. Yes, this is a rich man's hobby when taken to this height. As the men race across the country, chasing rare bird alerts and storms which bring stragglers and exotic birds, each man realizes their is additional costs to a Big Year. They are leaving family and careers to go off at the drop of a hat. The film is told in chronological order starting with New Year's Eve, and ends on December 31. Who will be the top birder of the year? This is a cute movie, more of a travelogue with the birds as the focus. I missed it in the theaters and would have liked to see Attu scenery on the big screen. I enjoyed The Big Year as an audio book immensely, seeing it as a movie was a light and fluffy experience. True birders will enjoy the movie.