The Big Year (2011)

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I must admit to being excited when I see a major motion picture that is rated PG.  Ahh…the dreams of not worrying over content and allowing the whole family to watch the show.

 

The newest PG film to grace our TV is The Big Year.

We were all excited to see this movie.  The commercials looked funny and the film features several actors we have enjoyed in other comedic films.

 

Synopsis ~

Stu Preissler (Steve Martin), Brad Harris (Jack Black) and Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) are at a crossroads — one is experiencing a mid-life crisis, another a late-life crisis, and the third, a far from ordinary no-life crisis. Follows three friendly rivals who, tired of being ruled by obligations and responsibilities, dedicate a year of their lives to following their dreams. Their big year takes them on a cross-country journey of adventures to try to win the North American Big Year, an annual bird-watching competition.

 

Based on the book, The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession

 

Overall, we loved the film.  (I am thinking about reading the book it is based upon.)   The cinematography is amazing with so many neat locations visited during the film and gorgeous photography of birds.  And, for the most part it is family friendly.  However, there were a couple of things that jumped out at me .

 

Things a Christian viewer might find objectionable:

• language ~ both verbal and physical (aka ‘the bird’ makes an appearance in one scene)
• sex ~ okay, so it is near impossible to avoid this and at least it is just showing a married couple indicating a desire to engage in the marital act.  But, the wife is only wearing a towel at the time…
• attitudes ~ another thing that is almost essential to this story as the way the main characters interact is sometimes less than charitable.  However, the viewer can see how by the end of the story the one with little or no scruples is left without anything of true value.
• (read more on the Parents Guide for The Big Year page on IMDb)

 

Here’s the movie trailer in case you haven’t seen it before:

 

 

 

 

This post has been submitted for inclusion in The Christian Home Issue 57 hosted here.   As the featured columnist for the Movies and Music category, you can be looking forward to weekly posts on what we are watching or music we’ve enjoyed.  

 

Feel free to leave suggestions for me as well that are family friendly or uplifting for adults.  While I have movies and some music selections in mind, I’m always on the lookout for other great choices.