The Big Year is a 2011 American comedy film starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Steve Martin. Directed by David Frankel and written by Howard Franklin, the movie is based on the 2004 non-fiction book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik. It follows three avid bird-watchers participating in a Big Year competition to spot and identify the greatest number of bird species in North America within a calendar year.