If you’re here, then you’re one of the very few people that have already seen The Big Year. And, maybe, you’re one of the even fewer people that appreciates the film for what it is: a hidden gem that has so much to unpack and analyze, masquerading as a family-oriented movie about birds and confusing the hell out of everyone for casting renowned slapstick comedy veterans. Oh, and narrated by John Cleese. WTF?
I stumbled across this movie a few years after its release. I’ve never cared about birds, but I was so entranced with the cast’s unrelenting passion and their traversing of all kinds of landscapes to compete with each other. A few days after my first watch, I was still thinking about the movie a lot. I decided to watch it again.
Now it’s become something I do at least yearly, and I must’ve seen this movie around 10 times. There’s a lot more to the film than most people give it credit for, which has compelled me to write about the deeper message that goes over the heads of many people watching the The Big Year.
Although Brad Harris (Jack Black) and Stu Preissler (Steve Martin) are easily as storied and layered as Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson), I find it most useful to analyze the film with emphasis on Bostick, as I think he best represents what the movie is actually about.
KENNY BOSTICK
Bostick is ruthless and cunning in the most wholesome and family-friendly way possible, relying on his ability to outcraft, deceive, and psych out his competition, yet still managing to never dirty his hands.
The key takeaway from Bostick is that he’s willing to do whatever it takes.
His passion is birds, and his outlet is the competition. Nothing will get in the way of that. His marriage, his wife’s fertility treatments, his house, his money (which his wife blows on needless construction to get his attention), his business, and all other facets of his life are on hiatus when a Big Year is at stake. Bostick knows that putting these things on hold may mean that they’re not still waiting for him when he gets back.
His relentless drive even shows through in the way he disregards social norms and conventions, seeing them only as obstacles that keep him from his title.
Neil: “He is in violation of all the unwritten rules for decorum and civility.”
Brad: “Yeah, well, maybe that’s what it takes to be the greatest birder on Earth.”
I understand that describing Bostick as “ruthless” may seem strange at first. The movie does an amazing job at painting this character in a positive light. But in the first 20 minutes of the movie, we see Bostick crash his car while falling asleep, which breaks his friend’s arm. Showing zero concern, Bostick tells him to shut up when he hears a woodpecker off in the distance.
This is a stark contrast to Brad and Stu, who we know would’ve been shaken up from a near-death experience, violent crash, and broken limb. Bostick is unfazed and likely thinks back on this ordeal only as the moment he laid eyes on a great spotted woodpecker.
BOSTICK’S DIALOGUE
Bostick is naturally charming, but you really see him light up when discussing birds with like-minded people. Most of his dialogue has subtle humor or quips sprinkled throughout, unless someone who doesn’t “get it” tries bringing up birds. While talking to his work competition (Falucci), Bostick’s usual charisma and humor were present, until Falucci mentions birds.
Falucci: “Your wife wasn’t exaggerating. Everything with you is birds, Bostick.”
Bostick: “Yeah, it is.”
His demeanor quickly changes. “Yeah, it is.” No wisecrack there – just a matter-of-fact response meant to shut down the conversation.
Contrast this to Stu and Brad, who get bullied throughout the movie by family members and co-workers thanks to their fascination with birds, yet they take every insult on the chin with no retort. Bostick is no pushover, and doesn’t waste a second in dealing with people that aren’t on the same page as him.
Brad’s Father: “I guess everybody needs a vacation.”
Brad: “It’s not a vacation, Dad.”
Brad’s Father: “Well, it’s not work. Unless somebody’s paying you to stay in hotels and look at birds.”
Brad is clearly flustered after this exchange with his father. Do you think it would’ve bothered Kenny?
BOSTICK’S VICTORY
You have to give the movie major props for subverting expectations on the outcome of the Big Year competition. Surely you expected our lovable, super relatable, underdog Brad to win. Instead, Kenny Bostick wins another Big Year. And rightfully so.
Brad mistakenly believes that he wants to win as bad as Bostick does:
Stu: “Maybe he [Bostick] just wants it more.”
Brad: “Oh, Screw that! I’ve spent 10 months of my life on this, and every penny I have. There is no way he wants it more than me!”
What Brad doesn’t realize is that Bostick would sell his own family down the river to win. Brad and Stu are both dying to win, but they have their limits. In one scene, Bostick is pushing a young group of girl “explorers” out of his way, while Brad and Stu took the polite route and held back. This kindness cost them a sighting of a pink-footed goose, from which they barely recovered.
Careers are the main obstacle, with both Brad and Stu getting sucked into work at inopportune times, while we never see Bostick so much as mentioning a job. Family is the secondary obstacle, which we again see Bostick consistently ignoring, while Stu and Brad can’t help but pay visits to loved ones or go on dates.
BOSTICK’S PASSION
We know Bostick doesn’t let anything get in the way of his passion. Brad and Stu find this behavior enviable.
Stu: “Most people just stay on the beaten path, then one day, they wake up and realize they didn’t do everything they wanted to do. Look at me. I was so afraid to retire, I had to do it twice before I finally got out here [to do a Big Year].”
Brad: “Why’d you wait so long?”
Stu: “‘Cause I’m an idiot.”
Stu doesn’t have any profound reason for why he let his career step in the way of his passion. He just calls himself an idiot. We don’t see Bostick letting his career (or anything else) get in the way of his passion.
Stu: “You think he [Bostick] lets anything slow him down? I made work my priority and I missed the boat. You got your feelings hurt and you almost quit!”
Toward the end, the movie reveals Bostick’s level of dedication to be a double-edged sword. Once Brad and Stu saw what it takes to be the best birder, they no longer envy Bostick, or at least not in the way they once did:
Brad: “We won, Stu! I don’t know how else to put it. I mean, I don’t know, he got more birds, but we got more… everything.”
After this exchange, you’d expect to see a lonely and divorced Bostick trying to pick up the pieces as he reflects on the regret of going too far to defend his title. Instead, the movie subverts our expectations once again, and shows Bostick traveling across the world to celebrate his victory. This is the final reaffirmation to prove that Bostick truly is obsessed and finds more fulfillment in his calling than in family or conventional subjects.
Narrator: “Only he knows the price that he has paid to be the greatest birder in the world.”
CONCLUSION
The Big Year is a complex and multi-layered film that can’t be summarized easily. It explores varying levels of dedication to one’s passion, and the implications of that dedication. The three main characters all have different approaches to prioritizing their calling while balancing it with the rest of their life.
There are many lessons from The Big Year that can be unpacked and applied as you attempt to strike a balance between following your passion and maintaining other aspects you deem important in your life.