Birders have been eagerly awaiting the release of the comedy movie based on the book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession, by Mark Obmascik, starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. This story - the book, at least - tells the tale of three birders who independently set out to smash the North American record for most bird species seen in a single year. The adventure took place in 1998, and Obmascik's book is a great read, whether you're a birder or not. And of course, one of the three protagonists is Ohio's own Greg Miller.
Well, Hollywood is fabled for taking artistic liberties, and I'm sure that'll happen with this story. There's no question the producers of the Big Year are infusing a heavy dose of comedy; just look at who the main actors are. I'm glad of that - I like comedies, and that's probably the only way this story could be spun and appeal to the masses.
The movie debuts on October 14, and if you are the type who reads this blog, you'll certainly want to see The Big Year. They just released the trailer, and it can be viewed HERE. In the trailer, there is a midwinter skiing scene in what looks to be the Rockies, and one can see a glimpse of an adult Swainson's Hawk perched in a tree. Let's hope that they get the rest of the ornithological details a bit more precise than that - highly migratory Swainson's Hawks are thousands of miles to the south at that time of year, in Argentina.
But ornithological inaccuracies won't be noticed by 99.9% of the people that watch the flick, and if there are some, well, who cares? Most people won't. But mark my words, the SERIOUS BIRDERS will have a field day finding and nitpicking errors of feather. I'll do my best to refrain from that beyond my transgression above, and just enjoy what should be a very entertaining movie.
2 comments:
The opening of the trailer totally sold me on the film, erasing any doubts I had about the comedy aspect. "There is going to be major fallout in a few hours!"
I'm lobbying our local theater to get it here in Athens. It's not a given that it will automatically be playing here, unfortunately. I just finished the book, and anxiously await the film version.
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