A Birder's Guide to Everything

About the movie

The movie begins with home movies of David and his mother bird watching. These home movies show up occasionally.In New York state, David's mother died a year ago and his father Donald is marrying her nurse Juliana. David is not happy about this.David continues to enjoy bird watching, and he's a talented artist as well. And of course he draws birds. His father's interest in birds involves killing them; he runs a small chain of fast food restaurants.David's best friend Timmy likes Evelyn, who is beautiful but may just like Timmy because he does her math homework.Timmy, David and Peter are members of the high school's bird watching club. In fact, one girl has quit and the guy who joined because he wanted to be with her is kicked out. So the three guys are the only ones left. How to increase membership?While riding his bike, David sees a duck he thought was extinct. He quickly takes a picture with inferior equipment, but the photo is not good enough to confirm what kind of bird he saw. He and the others consult Dr. Konrad, a bird expert. He gives them advice, including a prediction that the bird is migrating and will stop at a certain lake in Connecticut. David secretly plans a road trip with the guys that his father wouldn't approve of--especially since David could be late for the wedding.David asks Ellen for the key to the photo lab, and when Ellen discovers a special lens missing, she finds David and asks that it be returned. But when the guys explain, she agrees to let them keep it, if she gets to go along and take the special photo.And so the adventure begins. The kids need a car but only Peter is a licensed driver, and he is kind of a nerd and very nervous. Up until now he has been very confident and very logical. Timmy's cousin Eric has a car and he doesn't actually agree to let the boys borrow it. And are those drugs in the car? And who are those people in the van with the guns? Are they the people Eric is selling drugs for? And how did Evelyn get involved?The adventure includes laughs, arguments, serious discussions and even some danger. The kids learn a lot about each other and about life. And birds are seen and heard. This time they are not just background sounds. David knows the birds by the sounds they make.The big questions: Will the kids find the previously extinct bird? Will it in fact be the bird David thought it was? Will there be a romance? And will David make it to the wedding?