The Big Year

It's hard to imagine Jack Black and Owen Wilson in a quiet movie (Steve Martin is less of a stretch), but here they are. The title is a decoy, really; though THE BIG YEAR could have gone big (and gone home as yet another obnoxiously loud film), it instead delivers subtlety and soul. So what if it's not laugh-out-loud funny? Yes, it could have used a few more major moments, and the competition could have been amped up for deeper laughs. But what we get instead isn't a bird of the same feather; instead, it's one that -- wait for it -- soars.

In all earnestness, expect to be surprised at how educational The Big Year feels (just wait for the scene showing how the bald eagle mates). But what differentiates the movie from a National Geographic special are its three leads, all of whom exhibit exquisite control over their comedic gifts. They've each found a way to mute (in a good way) their individual sensibilities -- Black's rocker-in-your-face-ness, Martin's sometimes too-cosmopolitan wit, and Wilson's aw, shucksness -- that, when let loose, sometimes overwhelm. Sure, each character's romantic counterparts seem incidental, and the film occasionally borders on identity disorder with its travelogue elements (did we really need to see quite so many countries and cities?). Otherwise, it's a delight.