Blu-ray, DVD Release: The Big Year

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Jan. 31, 2012
Price: DVD $19.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $29.99
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment


The Big Year2011 comedy movie The Big Year has some heavy hitters in the laughs department — Steve Martin (Three Amigos), Jack Black (Gulliver’s Travels) and Owen Wilson (Hall Pass) — but failed to wow critics and audiences.

In the film, Martin, Black and Wilson are each facing a mid-life crisis, a work-life crisis and a no-life crisis. Avid bird watchers, they join a contest to spot the rarest birds in North America at a prestigious annual event, but for them, the quest turns into the ultimate competition.

The Big Year also features TV comedians Joel McHale (TV’s Community), Jim Parsons (TV’s The Big Bang Theory) and Rashida Jones (TV’s Parks and Recreation), as well as Angelica Huston (When in Rome), Dianne Weist (TV’s In Treatment), Brian Dennehy (The Next Three Days), Kevin Pollak (Red) and Anthony Anderson (Scream 4).

And the movie is directed by David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada) and written by Howard Franklin (The Man Who Knew Too Little).

But all those names couldn’t get moviegoers into theaters. The Big Year, which is based on a book by Mark Obmascik, grossed a poor $7.2 million in wide release at the box office. Critics called the film “disposable,” “feather-light” and, according to David Edwards at the The Guardian, “a comedy with fewer laughs than measles.” Ouch!

For the Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack, Fox has packed in more value with an extended version of the film and these special features:

  • “The Big Migration” featurette
  • gag reel
  • 12 deleted scenes

Here’s the movie’s trailer:

 

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About S. Clark

Sam Clark is the former Managing Editor/Online Editor of Video Business magazine. With 19 years experience in journalism, 12 in the home entertainment industry, Sam has been hooked on movies on since she saw E.T. then stared into the sky waiting to meet her own friendly alien. Thanks to her husband’s shared love of movies, Sam reviews Blu-ray discs in a true home theater, with a 118-inch screen, projector and cushy recliners with cup holders.