A Birder's Guide to Everything (2013)

Thanks for the memories!

How sad is this?

Fantastic!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

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.

This is not a very ambitious film, but for what I'm sure it was trying to accomplish...i.e., to make a sensitive, well-done coming-of-age film, it passes with flying colors. As another reviewer before me said, it does remind me a little bit of "Stand By Me," but since I didn't like "Stand By Me" and liked this one very much, it definitely stands on its own two feet, and isn't a ripoff.I thought they did a great job of showing what it's like to be a geek growing up, and how they behave among themselves. And unlike other movies, you actually see characters under 17 who not only are still virgins, but haven't even kissed someone from the opposite sex on the mouth! After watching so many teen movies, you would think these people don't exist! Although Katie Chang seems too pretty to never have kissed a boy, her character is a military brat who's always moving around, so I thought it was plausible that by the time she's no longer the new girl and has finally made friends, it's time to move again.I'm not sure why this film didn't have more buzz and more critical acclaim, but it's definitely worth seeing.

"A Birder's Guide to Everything" is an unassuming little charmer about a quartet of teenaged ornithologists who go in pursuit of a duck long believed to be extinct by experts in such matters. But, as the title itself suggests, "birding" is about a whole lot more than just seeking out and categorizing rare birds; it's about friendship, camaraderie, first love, learning to let go and growing up.Kodi Smit-McPhee plays David Portnoy, a high school boy who's having trouble coming to terms with the death of his beloved mother a year-and- a-half ago, a renowned ornithologist herself who instilled an intense love for birds in her son that he carries with him to this very day. His grieving process is not being helped by the fact that his father (James Le Gros) is slated to marry the nurse (Daniela Lavender) who took care of his mother in her dying days. David rebels in the only way a non-troublemaking, bird-obsessed boy really can - by piling into a "borrowed" car with his equally bird-obsessed buddies and going off through the woods of Upstate New York to prove the world wrong about that aforementioned duck.Written by Luke Matheny and Rob Meyer and directed by Meyer, "A Birder's Guide to Everything" is filled with humor, warmth, and winning performances by Alex Wolff and Michael Chen as David's lifelong pals, as well as Katie Chang as the initially skeptical but sufficiently open- minded fellow student who joins the boys in their quest. Ben Kingley also gets in on the fun as a professional ornithologist who worked with David's mother and has a few words of wisdom to impart to the mourning lad on the eve of his dad's nuptials.Along with some dazzling scenery, "A Birder's Guide to Everything" manages to drive home a few basic truths - like it really is okay to march to the beat of your own drum - with its deceptively simple tale of a boy and his birds.

Saw this film at Tribeca and I LOVED it! It's one of those movies anyone can watch and get something out of. It made me laugh, cry, and self-reflect. For a film to do all of those things - that's powerful. I enjoyed the film for its humor, originality, and emotional dimension. When you are a kid and tragedy strikes it's hard to bounce back and feel sturdy in your surroundings - this film takes you back to that uneasiness and shows a view of life through the eyes of a motley crew of teenagers, figuring out their role in a series of eye-opening events on a quest for more than just an extinct duck. The characters are funny, well developed, and real. The coming of age concept is something I think everyone can relate to in some way or another. This film can remind of us that sometimes life itself is a quest with many surprises along the way and that we are never too old for an adventure. The fact that the film was co-written says a lot about the talent and caliber of the writers. I think the collaboration was a huge contribution to the realness of the characters and is what helps this film appeal to a variety of audiences. Props, Rob and Luke!