The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty: (Review)

Ben Stiller in a still from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

I’ll be blunt: This was food for my soul. So right off the bat I may be biased in stating The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was a wonderful film, for a variety of reasons. The first being I could relate to the central character of the movie, Walter Mitty, played with just the right balance of seriousness and subtle humor  that we’ve come to expect from Ben Stiller.

Ask yourself how many times have you’ve had that feeling like what you’re doing in life doesn’t matter, doesn’t make a difference, or that you haven’t really done anything even remotely exciting in your time here? If you answered yes to any of those then I think you’ll be able to relate to the inner workings of Mr. Mitty. Here’s a guy who is middle-aged, and yet has no clue about his place in the world, or what he’s good at. All he can do is use his vivid imagination to transplant himself to a more fulfilling place in the world. It’s not that his job is all that bad, he processes all the photos for Life Magazine, but he’s essentially anonymous, doing the bulk of his work from a back room nobody pays attention to. Once some corporate scum bags in suits show up to announce mass layoffs, Mitty now has a major catalyst for getting out of his comfort zone.

As you see him traveling from place to place, in search of something very important (spoiler free here, sorry), the evolution of this character takes place on the screen so well with the beautiful backdrops of the world. He slowly morphs from a guy that can only imagine doing amazing things to someone who finally has to take matters into his own hands and take life head on for once. Dare I say there’s a Walter Mitty in all of us?

Another facet that really works in this movie are the supporting characters, specifically Kristin Wiig’s character of Cheryl Melhoff. Her chemistry with Stiller is easy to digest, and believable from the get-go. For once this wasn’t some misguided, half-assed love interest scenario in a film, it was handled just right to keep you rooting for the two of them to possibly get together by the end of the story. Hell, Sean Penn even shows up at one point, playing a very calm, well known photographer named Sean O’Donnell. For the brief amount of screen time he has, he nails the role, and I firmly believed he was a photographer, not just some bigger name movie star in an almost cameo sized appearance.

Now, along with the actors dynamic working well, the film’s humor is not to be underestimated. One scene in particular set in Greenland had the theater I was in laughing pretty consistently, and I probably scared some people off with the amount I roared at Mitty’s trials within this sequence. There’s even a good contemporary take on the awkwardness of online dating that should serve to make you crack a smile if you’ve ever been put in the same scenario that Walter was in. Overall, I suppose this is why the term “dramedy” was coined, since this story really nails the right balance of seriousness to keeping things light as the plot moves forward.

All of these things I’ve covered so far help make it a solid film, but the one thing that nailed it for me deals with the theme of slowing down in life, enjoying the specific moment you’re in. Without getting too granular, there’s moment later in the film that is the quintessence of what I’m getting at, and is very much a main theme of this picture. When a film can somehow connect to you on a level where you can truly embrace what you’re seeing and hearing, then it has done its job, and done it well. I wish more films would focus on such aspects, but if nothing else I’m thrilled that this one had themes we can all relate to in adulthood.

Is this a perfect film? Absolutely not. I found the ending to be a little too convenient, and wrapped up  too easily, but for a story like this, it probably suited the main character’s journey. From zero to hero Walter Mitty went, and you can’t help but root for the guy through his trials and tribulations en route to feeling better about himself. This isn’t another Forrest Gump, regardless of what another media outlet is proclaiming, but it captures what it’s like to dream, imagine, and the adventure of getting out in the world quite masterfully in my humble opinion.

At the end of the day, if you want the kind of mental escape that will transport you to a world of vivid imagination, with gorgeous cinematography, fitting music, and relateable characters, then see this film! It just may be food for your soul…

3 1/2 out of 4 Stars

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