Jack Black, Steve Martin star in ‘Big Year’

When: Opening Friday at local theaters

Cast: Jack Black, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson

Director: David Frankel

The story: Two avid birdwatchers team up to thwart the reigning champion in a prestigious annual competition.

The buzz: With this starring cast, could "The Big Year" be anything but a comedy? Director David Frankel (an Oscar-winner for his short "Dear Diary") knows his way around comedy, too, having directed "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Sex and the City" (the TV show, not the movie). Frankel and Wilson first worked together on "Marley & Me."

— By CAROL CLING