For the birds: The Big Year

Not sure whom the intended audience is for "The Big Year," a rather unfunny and unlovable movie about avid birders and their competition to see the most species in a single year: the director assiduously pursues a PG rating, essentially editing out any significant references to sex and infidelity and keeping the language resolutely clean, but would kids find this movie funny in the least? I doubt it - I didn't. Watched it primarily because M. and I are very interesting in birds and are fledgling birders, so to speak - and we enjoyed seeing the many species, especially in the montage of 755 over the closing credits. But the film isn't particularly interested in the principles of birding - makes it seem you can walk through the forest, speaking at full volume, and suddenly spot a rare owl, for example, on a branch in plain view, posing for a photo. If it were that easy, everyone would see 700-plus species. On the other hand, the three birders it focuses on travel around the country at totally absurd pace and expense - maybe some folks can do that, but not on a fixed budget, as one of them is purported to be. The three are Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Martin - each talented, and each cast against type, at some risk to the veracity of the story line. Well, the story line itself is as trite as you can imagine, and it will come as a shock I'm sure if I give you the spoiler: guy (Black) gets girl and reconciles with skeptical dad, older guy (Martin) realizes his family is what really matters, most aggressive birder (Martin) wins the competition but is lonely in his victory. None of these plot lines handled with a bit of imagination or depth - granted, this movie is not trying to be Grand Illusion, or even Casalanca. The stakes are lower - and that would be fine, if it were more fun, funny, or engaging.