The Big Year

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The Big Year

PG

2011

1h 40m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

41%

Tomatometer

100 Reviews

41%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Three men find that they have come to a turning point. Stu (Steve Martin) faces a late-life crisis, Kenny (Owen Wilson) is in the grip of a midlife crisis, and Brad (Jack Black) is wallowing in a no-life crisis. Determined to kick-start their stagnant lives, Stu, Kenny and Brad decide to enter a prestigious contest. During the course of one calendar year, the three friendly rivals crisscross North America in a quest to count more species of birds than anyone else.

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Critics Consensus

Though made with care and affection for its characters, The Big Year plods along, rarely reaching any comedic heights.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Jan 27, 2012

3/4

The movie roams through its numerous picturesque locations with a pleasant enough grace, while Frankel adds just enough idiosyncratic musical and visual quirks to keep things interesting.

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Andrew Pulver

Guardian

Dec 1, 2011

1/5

It's theoretically possible for laughs to be gouged out of this scenario, but you won't find them here: every move, every joke, every emotion is heaved lumberingly into place.

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Dec 1, 2011

2/5

The Big Year is as glossy and inert as Martin's face, which these days seems to require more foundation than the Burj Khalifa.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 3, 2020

2.5/4.0

All three actors play their usual stock characters here.

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Eric Melin

Scene-Stealers.com

Feb 23, 2012

2.5/4

The Big Year is completely predictable and full of way too many bird-watching montages set to inspiring music, but it's such an upbeat, cheery film that it's pretty hard to resist.

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Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

Feb 13, 2012

3/5

If you can get past the obviously obscure subject matter, you'll find a really sweet film beneath.

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Robert P

@Superbad Oct 5, 2026

The Big Year is a *2* star Movie!

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PeterB T

@RT80688525 Aug 11, 2026

If you in any way are a Birder this is a must watch, the film has so much warmth and love for the community, it's partially drama and comedy but mostly just feelgood and all Bird!

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 12, 2026

The worldwide gross is $8,179,416.00, way less than the production budget of $41,000,000.00.

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Chris P

@RT06285801 May 25, 2026

Great movie, totally disagree with the negative reviews. A movie i will go back to.

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Melissa M

@Lisey May 16, 2026

Finally an All-Star cast in a five-star movie. Angelica Huston, Brian Dennehy, Owen wilson, Jack black, & Steve Martin. John cleese narrated The origin of the big year. It was a little disappointing to hear that the original story behind it all, was how many birds could be shot. It was nice to see as history went on people were shooting birds with cameras not guns. This movie is loosely based on a true story. It proves that Hollywood can have an imagination if it tries. The premise is to see who can see the most species of birds within one year. I it tells the tale of 3 men from 3 different backgrounds. But they all have one thing in common they want to have a big year. How they go about doing that is another story. It is inspiring & heartwarming. A movie the whole family can enjoy. It's nice to see a family-friendly movie for a change.

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Tyler P.

@TylerPhoenixMD May 15, 2026

I don’t know what’s up with these review but this movie is great! The cast does an amazing job, the concept is original and it’s really funny! A great family movie or just a movie to feel good!!

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David Frankel

Director

Steve Martin

Stu Preissler

Jack Black

Brad Harris

Owen Wilson

Kenny Bostick

Brian Dennehy

Raymond

Anjelica Huston

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Synopsis

Three men find that they have come to a turning point. Stu (Steve Martin) faces a late-life crisis, Kenny (Owen Wilson) is in the grip of a midlife crisis, and Brad (Jack Black) is wallowing in a no-life crisis. Determined to kick-start their stagnant lives, Stu, Kenny and Brad decide to enter a prestigious contest. During the course of one calendar year, the three friendly rivals crisscross North America in a quest to count more species of birds than anyone else.

Director: David Frankel
Producer: Karen Rosenfelt, Stuart Cornfeld, Curtis Hanson
Screenwriter: Howard Franklin
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Red Hour Films, Sunswept Entertainment, Deuce Three Prods.
Rating: PG (Some Sensuality|Language)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 14, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.2M
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Dolby, SDDS

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