The Big Year (2011)

Plot: Stu (Steve Martin) is a business man who is retiring. Brad (Jack Black) is divorced, works a crappy job and lives with his parents. Both of these men have one thing in common: to do a big year, which is to outdo others in finding the most species of birds in North America. Kenny (Owen Smith) holds the record for seeing the most species in North America. He's a cocky man who's married and he and his wife are doing fertility treatments to try and get pregnant. When he learns that someone plans to break his record, he's determined to outdo his own record. Their competition is an allegory faced in their lives.

Review: When I heard of the movie's plot, I was very skeptical about it. But it works really well. I didn't even know what a big year was. It does take passion and dedication and the three main characters have it. Another thing that I like is how distinct and different the three main characters are. Stu is a businessman desperate to leave his company behind and move on with his life, but continues to be pulled in by his employees. Brad is misunderstood and belittled by his father, who thinks his goal to do a big year is ridiculous. Kenny is a cocky and selfish man who is determined to hold onto what he thinks is his (his record) and as a result is putting his wife behind him. The plot overall works well and I did like the ending. It wasn't the typical cliche ending that was to be expected and I'm happy that the characters' lives turned out the way they did in the end.

This is labeled as a comedy. But I would label it as a comedy-drama instead. The film has its good, funny moments but the film was also more dramatic than I would've thought.

The three leads of Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson work well together. They feed off each other's energy well. I liked the relationship between Martin and Black's character, felt to me like father and son, which interlinks with Brad's relationship with his father.

Overall, it's a surprisingly good and entertaining movie for what it is. It's not the most amazing film I've seen so far in 2011. It's just a fun and simple movie that will keep you entertained.

Rating: 3/5