The new romantic comedy 'The Big Year' and Steve Martin, Owen Wilson,Jack Black

The new romantic comedy 'The Big Year' starring Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black, about bird-watching doesn't go far enough in portraying the passion of the hobby.Really they are attentive worker in thier position.   'The Big Year'  is the world wide romantic comedy is thought By Brian Lowry.

Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and Jack Black compete against each other in 'The Big Year.'

Credit the makers of “The Big Year’’ with trying something different -- a comedy set in the world of competitive birding that’s neither a gross-out buddy movie nor a drippy chick flick.

A Big Year, as detailed in Mark Obmascik's source nonfiction book, is an annual competition among avian aficionados to spot the most species across North America from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. The winner gets bragging rights, something Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) enjoys. His 300-plus record has held for years, though he wants another go at it, despite his wife's (Rosamund Pike) plan for a family.

Stu may not have Bostick's instincts, or Brad's energy, but he has money and endurance. As the trio keep crossing paths, camaraderie and antagonism crop up, and so does their shared devotion to a pastime some might call silly, but which all three call a saving grace.

"You can't compare golf to this. Golf is like a hobby," explains Wilson's Kenny Bostick to his frustrated wife (Rosamund Pike), later trying to rationalize missed events and blown deadlines by saying, "This is what I'm great at."

Given Kenny's ruthlessly competitive nature, Stu and Brad (who doubles as the narrator) strike up an unlikely friendship. Mostly, though, the protagonists' paths intersect fitfully as they crisscross the continent responding to weather and seasonal patterns that will theoretically help them pad their totals.

It's certainly the more colorful choice, one that will appeal to fans of its leading men. However, the glimpses we see of Bostick's bent-but-not yet-broken marriage, Brad's disapproving father (a wonderfully cranky Brian Dennehy) and Stu's unique business acumen suggest a calmer, more astute movie fluttering around the edges.

But they gradually bond to compete against the ruthless Kenny, who goes to great lengths to mislead his competitors.

There is much racing across the continent -- from New England to Texas to a remote spot in the Aleutian Islands -- but not much insight into what drives this strange tribe, including a female birder (Rashida Jones) who takes a shine to Brad.

Black has a few pratfalls, but eventually he and the other stars of “The Big Year’’ get sucked into schmaltzy subplots straight out of Hollywood’s cliché playbook

Yet with Black, Martin and Wilson front and center, it's easy to refocus. Each is completely in his wheelhouse, and Black, especially, gets to round out his leading-man résumé thanks to Brad's sweet wooing of a fellow birder (Rashida Jones).

These guys are showing off their plumage, and despite all the rushing around, it's a sight to see.