The Big Year (2011) on Netflix
Three birders chase the Big Year, a contest to identify the most species in a calendar year. Brad Harris, Stu Preissler and record holder Kenny Bostick each want the highest count.
- Netflix3.3/5
- IMDb6.2/1051,364 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes42%
Trailer
Plot summary
A Big Year is a birding contest: whoever identifies the most species in a calendar year wins. Brad Harris, 36, maintains a nuclear power plant's operational software in Pennsylvania and lives with his parents after a marriage that failed; he hopes the competition gives him a purpose and makes his father proud. Stu Preissler built a Manhattan chemical company from his garage and wants to retire to Colorado with his wife, but merger negotiations keep calling him back to New York. Kenny Bostick, a roofing contractor, holds the Big Year record of 732 birds and guards it, while his third wife Jessica wants this to be the year they conceive a child. Brad is drawn to a fellow birder, Ellie.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Big Year (2011)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The three actual birders were Sandy Komito, Al Levantin and Greg Miller, who were chasing Komito's prior record; the film uses the same premise with fictional characters.
- Dustin Hoffman was initially attached for the role of Stu. Principal photography ran from May 3 to July 30, 2010 in Vancouver, with additional Attu Island scenes shot in the Yukon, where Jack Black's fall was unscripted.
- Despite established stars like Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson as the leads, the film was a box office failure: based on a budget of $41 million, it took in just $7.4 million in ticket sales worldwide.
