“High school teacher, and lifelong birder Ron Spencer (Tom Cavanagh), is preparing for his new job as Head of Ornithology at the National Park. He’s been waiting for years to get the position, but finds out that the much younger, and more hip, Floyd Hawkins (Jamie Spilchuk) will be taking over the job in order to attract a younger audience to bird watching. Ron’s daughter, Samantha (Cassidy Renee), is also an avid birdwatcher, but thinks her dad needs to be more in touch with the modern technology of bird watching. Feeling as if he’s losing his daughter, as well as his job, Ron sets out to bring Floyd down. With help from slacker Ben (Mark Rendall), who also hates Floyd after he begins seeing Ben’s ex-girlfriend, the two men try their best to ruin Floyd, with predictably terrible results.
The Birder is a sweet, hilarious film, which is so successful due to the performances of Cavanagh and Rendall. As two lovable dorks, it’s impossible to not root for them. Their mission is filled with evil promise, but the way they go about it is anything but. Ron is such a timid man (refusing to even swear) that his plans usually involve trying to prove that Floyd isn’t following the ethical rules of birding. It’s so ridiculous, that even if he succeeded, it wouldn’t hurt Floyd’s reputation.
The greatest aspect of the film is how the characters are treated. Nobody is ever made fun of, even if their idea of a good time seems rather nerdy. They all take pride in their pastime, whether it would be cool or not. It’s also great to see a father and daughter connecting, without resorting to the tired cliche of the embarrassed child.
Is The Birder essential festival viewing?
This is an easy recommendation. A very sweet, and funny story, with some hilarious performances, including a fantastic cameo from Graham Greene.”
Source: Canadian Film Fest Review by William Brownridge