The previews of this movie definitely did not do it justice. They made it look like some idiotic buddy film, or an insufferable “bucket list” piece of shit. It is actually a warm and endearing movie about the relationship between love, friendship and passion, with passion represented by the quasi-sport of birding.

Jack Black is at his best here, playing an average guy who wants to break the North American bird-sighting record, an all-consuming passion which has earned him the hatred of his father. Steve Martin is a corporate CEO who wants to leave it all behind and do the same thing. And Owen Wilson plays the obsessed record holder who is destroying his life trying to maintain his record. What is remarkable here is the emotional sensitivity of the story and screenplay, and the beautiful use of birding as a sport (the beauty and difficulty of it, the strange role of cataclysmic weather, the far-flung destinations, and the lose-knit social web of those that share this passion.) Each of the leads develops as a character on multiple fronts, and their relationship with each other and with those around them deepens. People fall in and out of love, re-assess their lives, and define friendship anew, and although it’s not super profound, it is all very believable, even a bit moving at times.

As for the sport of birding, they follow the lead of the very best sports movies in that they place a lot of emphasis on dialog explaining the intricacies of the sport, which both allows them to sustain interest in the action across the entire film, and also creates a lovely textured background on which the human dramas can then be more effectively played out. All in all, it’s a really well made film.

All three leads are excellent in their roles, and I say this as someone who can’t stand Steve Martin or Owen Wilson. This is the only time I have ever liked Owen Wilson in a movie – I would say he is legitimately good in this film. Steve Martin is quite a bit better than tolerable, which is really saying something for him. As for Jack Black, I continue to feel that he is very under-rated as an actor. He is the Gene Wilder of his generation. Consider: Gene Wilder was pretty weird too, and starred in a lot of really awful films; he also had a quirky warmth and charm that was always pleasing to watch, and had several iconic roles combining comedy, warmth, and singing. This is precisely a description of Jack Black’s career to-date. Black gives a very engaging performance in The Big Year. Rashida Jones (a favorite in our house) is, as always, adorable in a supporting role.

Just to round out the review, the pacing is very good, the soundtrack is solid and effectively used, and the credits are cool.

I highly recommend The Big Year!