A Birder's Guide to Everything (2013)

Touches You

A Masterpiece!

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Call me crazy, but I think that a movie centered around birds should make sure not to include major bird errors. My boyfriend and I are both long-time birders and our social lives, weekend plans, and wardrobe choices usually revolve around our love of birds and birding. This movie had us cracking up (it's great to watch after a few beers) with how ridiculous it was. A Labrador Duck looks nothing like a Mallard. And it wouldn't be walking up a suburban street. You wouldn't find an eclipse plumaged White-winged Scoter walking up a suburban street either. American Kestrel just chilling on a roof? Nah brah. There are more than 3 critically endangered duck species, and West Indian Whistling-Duck is not one of them. They didn't even get the scientific name of the Labrador Duck correct. Also, who uses film cameras nowadays besides artists who consciously prefer them as a medium? I love the growing popularity of birding in pop culture, but please do it right! The basis of the plot (glimpsing this rare duck) is completely far-fetched, but other plot elements are also a little forced. The acting was decent in my eye, but the character development was lacking, and there were countless tropes. The script-writing could have been better, but we appreciated the frequent moments of absurdity. Like I said, an OK movie to watch after a few drinks and laugh at with friends, but as a whole, it lacked factual integrity.

"I think I may have found an extinct duck." David Portnoy (Smit-Mcphee) is your typical high school bird watcher. He spends all his free time outside looking for any type of bird he can find which also keeps him away from his dad's new fiancé who he doesn't approve of. While out one day he thinks he spots an extinct species of duck. When him and his friends take the picture to famous birder Lawrence Konrad (Kingsley) they become more excited when he doesn't disagree with the findings. They decide to take a weekend trip to where they think the duck went to verify what they found, the same weekend as his father's wedding. Going into this I had the same reaction 90% of people will have, a movie about bird watching...super fun. Even though I liked The Big Year I still wasn't all that excited about watching this. Once again though I ended up liking this more then I expected to. The movie was more of a coming of age movie then another Big Year type movie. I was surprised with how much I liked this and I do recommend this. Overall, a mix of Kings Of Summer, Way Way Back and Sasquatch Gang with a dash of Napoleon Dynamite . I give this a B+.

Real, honest, and full of life. A journey taken by these 3 young Birder's brings clarity, and strength to David at just the right time. Idols, and icons are doing battle in his mind, and his ideals are tested when he confronts the flaws in all people not just his Father. David's loss is his own until he understands that he actually can share it and ease some of the burden. A very Enjoyable family friendly movie with a good message, and an easy landing. There is a very well told story that only lacks in any real edge, but with enough solid characters that you will feel fulfilled. If you are looking for a movie for the whole gang that will neither offend, or damage anyone, then let the Birder's guide you.

Many independent comedies with similar themes end up being very slow with way more drama than comedy and no satisfying conclusion. This film, however, keeps a comedic edge all the way through with plenty of big laughs, while also maintaining enough emotional drama to keep us hoping that David finds what he's looking for. The climax and resolution are satisfying, though the climax felt like it may have come a bit too soon.Every character is well defined with their own struggle and arc. David's two best friends, Timmy (Alex Wolff) and Peter (Michael Chen), are both hilarious. Timmy is struggling with his own delusions about a popular girl at school liking him when in reality she's just using him to do her math homework. Peter is overly cautious and accused of being a pussy throughout the film until he finally decides to take a big risk to help his friends. They're particularly funny when making decisions as the school Birder's Club, because they're incredibly official and always take the time for formalities despite the fact that they're just three friends.Ellen (Katie Chang), a girl from the photography club at school, is convinced to join the boys on their trip after she catches them stealing a lens from the photography department. David teaches Ellen about birding throughout their trip, and the two come to like each other.SPOILER ALERT!The second act felt too short. It seemed like David and his friends weren't on their search for very long before the climax hit, largely because there weren't very many challenges or obstacles to overcome once they began their search. It's set up earlier in the story that before they embark on their trip, Ellen accidentally tells two other birders about the duck they're looking for, setting the main characters up for some possible competition. While those birders do appear again later, they don't really serve as antagonists throughout the second act who are trying to find the duck first, which would have created more tension and conflict throughout act two.Lawrence Konrad (Ben Kingsley) finds the group during their search and ends up helping them. However, they weren't really in need of the help before he showed up and he didn't seem to be particularly helpful in the search. They end up spotting the duck a bit too easily, without anyone needing to do anything too special to find it. It would have been more rewarding if there had been more of a struggle to find it, and if the group had to use every bit of their combined birding knowledge.Even after the climax is over and the main issue is resolved, there is still the issue of getting to David's father's wedding; but nothing was really made of their rush to get there in time. The potential conflict is even set up with David realizing that he has the rings for his father's wedding and needs to get there with them, but then right when they leave, the next shot is them arriving for the wedding on time without having made anything of the struggle to get there.All in all, a fantastic and enjoyable film with plenty of laughs, fun characters, and a unique concept. There could have been more conflict throughout, and most problems were resolved too easily. Still, on a scale of 1-10, it was too enjoyable to give it anything less than an 8.