The Big Year

What it's about:

Three friendly rivals 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.

Tired of being ruled by obligations and responsibilities, these guys dedicate a year of their lives to following their bird-watching dreams. Their big year takes them on a cross-country journey of wild and life-changing adventures.
 
What the critics thought:

"Unfortunately, these comic geniuses are kept caged by the wan script and direction. The best gag in the film is the opening title card; the best joke, a throwaway by a day player."
- Richard Brody, New Yorker

"Like birding itself, The Big Year rewards patience. It respects both the integrity and the eccentricity of the avian obsession, and it communicates something of the fascinating abundance and weirdness of the animals themselves."
- A.O. Scott, New York Times

"There is some harmless pleasure to be found when feathers aren't ruffled, when the fowl is not foul."
- Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times