The Big Year
The Big Year Image
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Metascore
53 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 33 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: Based on Mark Obmascik's 1998 book "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession," the film is about three men who try to outdo each other in a bird-watching competition to spot the rarest birds in North America. The rivalry is an allegory for the challenges each faces in his own life. (20th Century Fox)


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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 29
  3. Negative: 2 out of 29
  1. Tampa Bay Times
    Reviewed by: Steve Persall
    Oct 16, 2011
    83
    Frankel's movie is as refreshing as a walk in the woods and surprising as a chance encounter with the best that nature can offer.
  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Oct 12, 2011
    75
    The Big Year is getting the enthusiastic support of the Audubon Society, and has an innocence and charm that will make it appealing for families, especially those who have had enough whales and dolphins for the year.
  3. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: A.A. Dowd
    Oct 14, 2011
    60
    The School of Rock funnyman flies highest; passion, be it for rare birds or the Yardbirds, is a plumage he wears wonderfully.
  4. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Bill Weber
    Oct 13, 2011
    25
    Director David Frankel can't lend the inflated sitcom dilemmas of the characters any life, and most mysteriously screenwriter Howard Franklin, whose work in the '90s frequently had appealing quirk and flavor, gets the dubious credit for adapting a 1998 nonfiction book about these hobbyists' pursuit of pink-footed geese and Northern Shovelers.

See all 29 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 2 out of 12
  1. siempre
    9
    The Big Year is an excellent MOVIE. It does not slide into a category well and that hurt the marketing. So, three comedians who are very good dramatic actors make an old fashioned movie that combines a depthful story, some soft humor and a lot of thoughtfulness- try to put that in a trailor.It is a movie about choices, sacrifice and ambitions. See this movie!… Expand
  2. Tokyochuchu
    8
    The Big Year was a pretty great film. It was subtle, bittersweet and unpredictable. I expected the usual Hollywood rom-com slapstick farce and was pleasantly surprised. Great stuff.… Expand
  3. StaticSpine
    7
    This is not just a movie about "bird nerds". It's all about true life priorities for everyone and also it's about the sacrifices one can make to achieve his goal. So this isn't an ordinary comedy movie, it carries a nice idea.… Expand
  4. corc79
    0
    I an truly amazed that this pantload of a movie got a single score above a zero. The only way that's possible is if those reviewers happen to be one of these weird "birding" nerds. To be perfectly honest, we felt completely ripped off by the false advertising of this piece of crap. In the previews, in every single interview with the cast, there wasn't one mention of a bird or "birding" in any capacity...it was made to look like something similar to The Bucket List, with the cast doing a bunch of crazy things over a year. NOT WATCHING FREAKING BIRDS! Maybe not the worst movie ever, but surely in the top 10, and definitely the most dissapointing I have ever seen. I can't for the life of me figure out why any of those guys would ever even consider doing this movie. Anyone who rated this above a zero has been eating way too many retard sandwiches...… Expand

See all 12 User Reviews

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