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Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and Jack Black compete against each other in 'The Big Year.' Spotted: A mainstream movie with wit and a bit of heart. Colors are white, blond and brown. Tends to move around quickly if sometimes clumsily.
That's how a birder - remember, it's not "bird watcher" - might describe "The Big Year," a genial comedy with more power under its wings than it seems. This one could have flown over the cuckoo's nest, or smacked into a glass pane, but instead lands in the middle of the road where quirky and popular meet.
A Big Year, as detailed in Mark Obmascik's source nonfiction book, is an annual competition among avian aficionados to spot the most species across North America from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. The winner gets bragging rights, something Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) enjoys. His 300-plus record has held for years, though he wants another go at it, despite his wife's (Rosamund Pike) plan for a family.
Two others, though, are gunning for Bostick's number, and they have long-delayed dreams on their side. Brad (Jack Black) is a cubicle worker who, despite a divorce and job trouble, has saved up enough to crisscross the continent. And Stu (Steve Martin) is finally retiring from the mega-company he started and aiming to live for himself.
Stu may not have Bostick's instincts, or Brad's energy, but he has money and endurance. As the trio keep crossing paths, camaraderie and antagonism crop up, and so does their shared devotion to a pastime some might call silly, but which all three call a saving grace.
Director David Frankel ("Marley & Me") could have gone a few ways with this story. The most obvious one would have been to layer a "Local Hero"-style whimsy onto a gentle, Christopher Guest-like parody. Instead, he turns Howard Franklin's script into a mad-dash comedy reminiscent of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" or even - it has to be said - "The Cannonball Run."
It's certainly the more colorful choice, one that will appeal to fans of its leading men. However, the glimpses we see of Bostick's bent-but-not yet-broken marriage, Brad's disapproving father (a wonderfully cranky Brian Dennehy) and Stu's unique business acumen suggest a calmer, more astute movie fluttering around the edges.
Yet with Black, Martin and Wilson front and center, it's easy to refocus. Each is completely in his wheelhouse, and Black, especially, gets to round out his leading-man résumé thanks to Brad's sweet wooing of a fellow birder (Rashida Jones).
These guys are showing off their plumage, and despite all the rushing around, it's a sight to see.
pak gallery:www.see4ever.webs.com
