Entertainment’s biggest turkeys of 2011
Nov. 22, 2011, 1:40 PM EST
By Dorothy Pomerantz
Forbes
Sometimes, even the most promising projects can go wrong. Take the movie “The Big Year” for example. Based on a book of the same name, the movie tells the story of three men trying to outdo each other spotting rare birds over one year. The Fox film attracted three big stars who could play up the comic potential of the story: Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson. Director David Frankel, who helmed hits like “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Marley & Me” signed on to direct. It looked like a hit in the making.
But something went horribly wrong along the way. When the film hit theaters last month it was released without much fanfare. Ads for the film made it look more like a sentimental film a la “The Bucket List” than a comedy. Critics panned the film awarding it a mere 39 out of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes (which aggregates reviews). The $40 million film earned only $7 million.
I suggest you read the book. It was a great book.
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