【電影簡介】

大年（big year）”是觀鳥愛好者的一種競賽，參賽者需要用一整年的時間和精力，記錄自己觀察到的鳥類種類數量，數量最多者取勝。布萊德、斯圖和肯尼就是三位鐵桿觀鳥愛好者。布萊德（杰克·布萊克 Jack Black 飾）是個一事無成的大齡宅男，因此決定花掉一大筆錢參加“大年”時，他父母覺得他瘋了；斯圖（史蒂夫·馬丁 Steve Martin 飾）是一家大公司的總裁，所以當他決定放下手頭百萬生意，跑去參加“大年”，他助理覺得他瘋了。此一老一少在競爭中相識，很快成為朋友，決定共同對付他們最強的對手——上一屆“大年”的得勝者肯尼（歐文·威爾遜 Owen Wilson 飾）。只有鳥友才懂，放棄整整一年的事業和生活意味著什么，三個“鳥友”在大年中奮力競爭，最終要回頭面對的還是生活中的問題……

【音頻文本】

As a comedy film, 'The Big Year' is only mildly funny. But for people who aren't familiar with the activity known as bird watching, or birding, this movie is quite an eye-opener. Avid fans of the popular sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory' may want to preserve with this move in order to catch a glimpse of the series' breakout character Sheldon Cooper. But I assure you, the main characters deserve your attention just as much, if not more.

Three birders of different ages and professions, share the same enthusiasm for bird watching. Stu Preissler is a retired businessman who wants to extend his success into the bird watching world. Brad Harris is able to recognize hundreds of avian species through birdsong alone. Both Stu and Brad begin a year-long bird-spotting quest around North America, and in the process they befriend and help one another in order to defeat the bird watching record holder Kenny Bostick.

Despite sharing a common hobby, the three men each have distinct characters and follow different paths in search of their goal. Steve Martin portrays the businessman birder who enjoys full financial and familial support in his pursuit; his affability and generosity help him win the friendship of Brad Harris, portrayed by Jack Black. Black goes about his role with the air of a typical geek who possesses a heart of pure gold. Owen Wilson's excellent portrayal of Kenny Bostick assures everyone of the character's obsession with his championship.

For laymen, the movie brings you into a parallel universe where birds can dominate people's lives. Not only do you have a chance to see a number of rare birds and become buried under layers upon layers of detail,you can also acquaint yourself with a different lifestyle. Seriously, how often do you come across people who know birds like the back of their hand?

And here is a question for you to think about: we know partaking in a hobby makes people happy, but to what extent can you indulge yourself without said hobby ruining your life. Apparently, Stu and Brad are able to enjoy themselves despite their failure to challenge Bostick's status. The latter's persistence is admirable, but the cost of his success will most likely lead to him growing old and dying alone. I suppose balancing the extent of devotion is important for those who relish their hobby.

There are obvious negatives in this movie. As previously mentioned the comedy is very mild and rarely provokes anything more than a chuckle. The only part of the movie that could be regarded as mildly thrilling is a helicopter chase in pursuit of a snowcock. But against the backdrop of this plain and unexciting story, viewers may find themselves thinking about what to do with their own lives rather than watching the story unfold. On a scale on one to ten, 'The Big Year' gets a seven.

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