The Big Year

Three men take a year away from their ordinary lives to chase birds across North America. Stu Preissler, a businessman, Brad Harris, a computer worker, and Kenny Bostick, the reigning champion of the continent's bird-watching contest, all enter the same annual competition: whoever records the most species in a single year wins. An unusually strong El Nino draws rare birds north into the United States, raising the stakes for everyone involved. The three rivals travel the country and beyond, and the pursuit of a record gradually gives way to questions about what they actually want from their lives. The screenplay is by Howard Franklin, working from Mark Obmachik's book about the contest.

David Frankel directed the film, which came in his run of work between Marley & Me and Hope Springs, following earlier films including Miami Rhapsody and The Devil Wears Prada. Steve Martin plays Stu, Jack Black plays Brad, and Owen Wilson plays Kenny. Brian Dennehy, Anjelica Huston and Rashida Jones appear in supporting roles, with a credited cast of 57 and 156 credited crew members.

Released in October 2011, the comedy runs 102 minutes. It was made for about 41 million dollars and returned roughly 8 million dollars worldwide, a wide gap between its cost and its theatrical earnings. On IMDb it holds 6.2 out of 10 from around 51,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6 out of 10 from a much smaller base of about 913 votes. A film critics' rating of 5.1 out of 10 from 100 reviews places it close to the audience scores rather than apart from them.