The Big Year Page #7

Remember when you said

one of us has to beat this SOB?

Maybe we should...

Team up.

Team up!

I can't look at the rocket launch

The trophy wives of the astronauts

And I won't listen to their words

'Cause I like

Birds

I don't care for walking downtown

Crazy autocar gonna mow me down

Look at all the people like cows in a herd

Well, I like

Birds

I'm exhausted. I couldn't take another step.

Sandhill crane!

Oh, sh*t!

You took him up?

Okay. Thanks, Gil.

Bostick saw snowcocks.

I can't afford snowcocks!

Snowcocks are on me.

- I can't even afford this beer.

- That's on me, too.

You ever been in a helicopter?

Ah!

So, how long until we see some

Himalayan snowcocks?

You never know. It's a matter of luck.

Do we have to fly

this close to the mountains?

Close? This isn't close.

You want to see close?

No. No, no, no, no, no!

Whoa!

All right, there, there, there!

Himalayan just cleared the ridge!

You see it?

- No!

- No!

Oh, man! Come on, look!

Where are you? Come on.

There! There, there!

There, you see it? Right there!

Ride 'em, cowboy!

- Uh-oh!

- Ah!

Oh, God!

We're good. We're good.

Can we go home now?

Don't you want to get it on film?

- Hell, no!

- No! No! Home!

Hey!

- We're alive!

- We saw snowcocks!

Hey!

We're on a roll! Nothing can stop us now!

A-well-a, everybody's heard about the bird

Bird, bird, bird, b-bird...

Hey, Mom.

What?

It's all right. It's okay.

So how many of these damn tests

are these clowns

gonna put me through before

they let me get the hell out of here?

Dad, you had a heart attack.

I had a minor heart attack, all right?

In my old man's day, it was not something

you went to the hospital for.

Let me show you some shots from the trip.

My little hobby. You should take a look.

What do we got here? There we go.

Colima warbler. That's Texas.

Had to hike eight miles to see that guy.

That's a spruce grouse.

Maine. That was butt-cold.

Another spruce grouse.

There's my favorite bird.

American golden plover.

That's your favorite bird. It's gray.

Yes, it is. Well, gray-brown.

Yeah, a lot of people wouldn't

think twice to look at this bird,

but this golden plover's one of

the greatest travelers in the world.

It's true. It breeds in the Arctic tundra,

then flies all the way down to Argentina

and back, all in one year.

It shows up on beaches of Guatemala.

On farms in Illinois.

Nine inches long, but he travels hundreds

of thousands of miles in his lifetime.

No passports, no security. Total freedom.

Yeah. This gray bird has seen

some amazing things.

And that's the bird

that everybody underestimates.

Yes!

Hey. Did you see a flammer?

I heard it. He just answered my call.

- Which direction?

- It doesn't matter.

We both heard it. That counts.

How do I know what I heard?

Maybe I just heard you.

Maybe I heard some SOB answering you.

I'm claiming it.

I mean, you heard what I heard.

You should claim it, too.

- Just tell me which direction, pal.

- It's over here.

Hey, hold up. I'll go with you.

Hey, Stu. Yeah, walk with me.

That was some trick you pulled on us

at Anacortes Ferry.

What trick?

Bostick, you're a hard guy to figure.

Seems like you'd do anything to win,

but that's not true, is it?

I work the angles just like everyone does.

Maybe even better.

Yeah, but when it comes

to the honor system,

you're as pure as snow.

Everyone in the clubhouse knows

which guy cheats on his score.

He's kind of pathetic.

Who'd want to be that a**hole, right?

Bostick, this is strange to say,

but I actually kind of like you.

I kind of like you, too, Stu.

Yeah, you seem like a...

You seem like a genuinely nice guy.

Course, wasn't that how you got to Brad?

- I didn't get to...

- Yell if you find a flammer.

Bostick!

I see that you're going to come back

at least a couple more times.

So just fill out those forms

and we'll see you again.

Okay, great. Thank you.

Okay. We're all set.

But we do need your husband here

very soon:

He'll be here.

Sorry. Am I hurting you?

Oh, not at all.

Your husband does know today's the day?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

- How you doing?

- Good. How are you, sir?

Tired.

The doctor's ready.

Should we maybe call your husband?

Can we give him five more minutes?

Okay.

Bostick!

- Yeah.

- Bostick, guess what I'm looking at.

Snowy owl.

Catch the 4:
30 to Buffalo

and you will obliterate your own record.

Hold on. Kenny, where are you?

Jess, you cannot believe how hard

I have tried today to get there.

It's just been a complete nightmare

here in Chicago.

Hold on.

They've got like all the planes grounded,

or something, I don't know why...

Here you go, Mrs. B.

Sounds like you could use a cup of tea.

- Thanks, Frankie.

- Yeah.

A-well-a, everybody's heard about the bird...

Dad, can you grab that for me?

A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word

A-well-a, bird, bird, bird

Well, the bird is the word

A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word

A-well-a, bird, bird, bird

Well, the bird is the word

A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word

A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word

A-well-a, bird, bird...

Yeah, yeah, hello.

Oh, hi. I'm trying to reach Brad?

Brad's upstairs. He's setting up

an oxygen tank for some old man.

Oh, can you tell him his friend Stu called?

I got word of a great gray owl in

the George Washington National Forest,

and since that's

in your neck of the woods...

Yeah, Brad's told me a lot about you, Stu.

Same here.

Quite a son you have there.

Between you and me, he might break

the world's record this year.

World record? Is that right?

Here, get your coat on.

Where are we going?

Some kind of an owl out in the woods.

I want to get a look at him.

An owl?

I always thought it was

kind of weird with birds.

The male is way colorful and fancy,

and the female is just plain.

The opposite from us, you know?

I don't know, Dad. You should check out

the family photo album sometime.

Those jackets you were sporting back

in the '70s were...

- My sport jacket?

- ...pretty colorful.

- Paisley polyester, huh?

- Yeah.

How do you think

I got your mother, eh? Huh?

Uh... I don't think so.

Jess?

Frankie? Is that you?

No.

- It's not what you think.

- What do I think?

You know what?

The Faluccis are taking me to a Jets game.

They wanted to get an early start.

And when I heard you come in,

I figured I'd overslept,

'cause it's not like you've been here

any morning in the last 10 months.

So you haven't slept with him.

No. I'd never do that to you.

You know, fallen in love or something?

No.

'Cause, believe it or not,

I'm still in love with you.

But I can't be married to you anymore.

- Jess...

- I'm gonna call Frank

and tell him that the game's a no go.

You okay?

I'm fine. Go ahead. Go ahead.

Brad!

All right, I want you to get that bird

before it gets dark.

- We will.

- No. No, no.

You go on without me.

- But...

- I'll be fine, okay?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes