The Big Year (2011)

Birdwatcher David Callahan on The Big Year

Getting chuffed over a domestic duck? Any self-respecting birdwatching pedant should be horrified by The Big Year A lot of people think of birdwatching – or "birding", as we usually refer to it – as geeky. I prefer to think of it as an interesting obsession. It can certainly take over your life, as it does for the three main characters in this film: they devote an entire year of their lives – a "big year" – to travelling the length and breadth of North America, competing to spot the greatest number of bird species.I've read the book on which the film is based: The Big Year : A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik . It's very well-written, with great characterisation; you especially feel for Brad Harris, the character played in the film by Jack Black , who's a working-class guy with less money than the others to spend pursuing his passion.
...Read full article»