The Film
He was The Jerk, The Man with Two Brains, and The Father of the Bride. Now, Steve Martin doesn't do a many movies as he used to. For some reason, however, he chose to grace us for The Big Year.
The Big Year follows Stu (Martin), Kenny (Owen Wilson) and Brad (Jack Black) on a quest to see the most birds in one year. Yes, that's the plot of the movie.
With this type of premise, you'd expect director David Frankell (Marley & Me) to choose one of two routes. The wise move would have been a Christopher Guest-esque mockumentary. This topic is just ripe for that type of treatment. Of course, he could take just gone completely crazy and made it a slapstick farce. Instead, it's just a bunch of guys looking for birds, which believe it or not, really isn't all that funny.
To distract you, the film features so many cameos that they can't all fit on the marquee. Look for Joel McHale, Jim Parsons, Kevin Pollak, Anthony Anderson, Tim Blake Nelson, Steven Weber, and Corbin Bernsen to pop up at some point. Despite all of the pretty plumage, however, The Big Year just never takes flight.
The Picture
With the exception of the level of talent, The Big Year isn't a big title in any sense of the word. This 2.35:1 looks nice enough, but isn't as gorgeous as it should be. Overall, it's pretty pleasing, but nothing to crow about. Wider shots offer nice colors, but a noticable lack of detail. Close-ups are much better, especially when revealing facial details. The lines on Martin's and Wilson's faces are a real standout. Colors are nice, though, and are probably this release's strongest suit.
The Sound
Like most comedies, the DTS-HD Master Audio track sticks close to the front where it can deliver all of the dialogue clearly. The surrounds are used sparingly, for the "we're wacky here" score and a variety of birds, including a plane and a quick helicopter ride. It's not all that impressive, but it's pretty average for a comedy and works just fine.
The Extras
Given the poor box office performance of The Big Year, it's not surprising that this release isn't busting with extras. There is a slightly extended version of the movie, as well as trailers, deleted scenes and a gag reel. The one making-of featurette is fairly interesting, though, with detail about the production and the film's locations.
Final Thoughts
If The Big Year symbolizes the year that three renowned comedians decided to throw their careers into the toilet, then consider this a job well done. The film is nice to look at, assuming you aren't looking for anything that resembles comedy. If you're looking to laugh though, The Big Year is a big flop.
Product Details
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