"THE BIG YEAR"

It's always wise to go in with low expectations in order to avoid disappointment. So I did.  Because this film had received luke-warm reviews, I wasn't anticipating anything more than what it was: basically,  to coin a very lame pun,  "for the birds."   Yes,  "The Big Year" was mediocre, even with Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson as main actors. (Brian Dennehey plays Black's father.) Dad  has no interest in birds, and thinks it's a silly waste of time.) The story has to do with the  competition among those who go "birding"  (not, what I, in my ignorance, had always called "bird watching") to establish who can see (and usually photograph) the largest number of different kinds of birds within one calendar year ("The Big Year").    Not all Birders are out to do a Big Year, some just go out anyway.  But if they are trying for a Big Year, well, it includes driving, flying, sailing all over the world to places where the birds are likely to be found!  That means following weather reports, and rumors -- and unfortunately, some mis-direction from some competitors.    Oh, well,  I had my popcorn and a comforttable seat in a nice theater.