The Big Year - Review

Watched "The Big Year" on HBO last night (had it DVRd). This was a really sweet movie. I expected a lot more comedy than it had considering the stars were Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. Plus there were lots of other big name actors and actresses with small parts such as Angelica Houston playing a very funny, kind of curmudgeonly fishing / sightseeing expedition ship. Of course, it was funny in lots of places, but no big guffaws, just lots of cute giggles. Most of the story was more heart-tugging than funny. Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson all play characters with wildly different backgrounds all brought together with thousands of other people on a wild chase around the globe in search of "The Big Year". The big year is an National Audubon Society convention where people set out to see as many unique species of birds in one year, and it is a competition with the top ranking birders listed in their magazine. It's worth a watch for sure, and I enjoyed it. I especially like that the three main characters all got a lot more out of their "big year" than just the bird-watching.