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The Big Year (2011)

Director: David Frankel

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From Time Out London

Two words guaranteed to get the most jaded cinemagoer’s pulse pounding: competitive birdwatching. To be fair, if ‘The Big Year’ hadn’t been saddled with a bland script, TV-movie direction and three coasting comedy superstars, we might have been able to overlook the subject matter. Jack Black turns on the goofball everyman charm – which is to say, he grins a lot – as Brad, the office dogsbody who dreams of completing a ‘big year’: spotting more wild birds in North America than any other twitcher. His competition comes in the form of preening, loudmouth birding superstar Kenny (Owen Wilson – who else?) and doting millionaire family man Stu (Steve Martin – ditto). With that kind of star wattage, ‘The Big Year’ is difficult to dislike. It’ll also prove very hard to remember.

Author: Tom Huddleston

Time Out London Issue 2154: 1 – 6 December, 2011


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Cast & crew

Director: David Frankel

Cast: Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Jack Black

Genre(s): Comedy

Duration: 100 mins




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