The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Review

Have you ever thought about going somewhere? Somewhere adventurous, and foreign that you've never been to before? Even if you haven't legitimately considered it, I'm sure the thought has crossed your mind. Ben Stiller's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty explores the possibility of letting go of your normal life and really starting to live the life of your dreams.

The short story that inspired this movie is fond to me. I remember reading it in school and absolutely loving it. I have never seen the 1947 film starring Danny Kaye, so I don't know how accurate it was. But Stiller's adaption of James Thurber's classic story isn't really an adaption at all. Most of the satirical elements of the story have been taken out, and the only real similarity is that they're both about a guy named Walter Mitty who leads a pretty vanilla life, and consistently daydreams about what he wishes his life were like. However, the movie isn't bad because of this. In fact, on its own, this is a rather sweet dramedy that has a meaningful message. It's just that the message is delivered much differently than it was in Thurber's story.

Ben Stiller directs and stars as the main character, Walter Mitty. I personally thought he was very good. I've always respected Stiller as an actor. I'm not necessarily a huge fan or anything, but I do respect his talent. After watching this film, I feel no differently. I actually might even respect him a bit more, and I certainly like him more. That's what his character is; easy to like, and easy to connect with. We all zone out into our own dream world now and again. Kristen Wiig stars as the woman Walter works with at Life Magazine, and starts to develop feelings for. I thought the love story was pretty well done. I never found it cheesy, and the work done by the actors coupled with Steve Conrad's script was endearing. I found myself caring for the characters, which is always a good thing.

One of the other notable cast members is Adam Scott, who plays Walter's boss. His character is meant to be disliked, and he is easy to dislike, so I guess I should give props to Scott for that. Another cast member is Patton Oswalt who plays an eHarmony customer consultant. He has some funny scenes with Stiller over the phone throughout the film. Also, Sean Penn appears in somewhat of a cameo; he's a pretty major character for the story, but we only see him in a scene or two. All of them do good jobs. No outstanding performances, but none that were bad either.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is not the most believable thing. You may be wondering why that is, since much of the extraordinary stuff Walter Mitty does is only in his head. Those who have read the short story would certainly think that. However, that's where the supreme difference between the film and the story lies. Yes, there are plenty of times in the movie when Walter zones out and tackles his boss out of a building, or jumps off a bridge into the window of an apartment and saves some people from an explosion. But, a lot of the story takes place in places where Walter is really traveling and doing cool things, like jumping out of a helicopter and fighting a shark. He does those things in real life. And there are moments where I went, "Really? Could he really do that?" It wasn't a terrible flaw, just something I noticed. Also, that's why I'd only call this film inspired by Thurber's short story, not necessarily based upon it.

There are some moments in the movie that spoke to me on a personal level. There were just certain quotes and situations that I could deeply relate to. There aren't a whole lot of movies that can do that for me, so I must commend The Secret Life of Walter Mitty for that.

For those of you who haven't read my review of Saving Mr. Banks, I'll just tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was one of my favorite films of the year. However, if you don't make it to that, I think The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a fine alternative this holiday season. And if you can, I'd suggest seeing both of them. They are both emotionally satisfying. I'm not putting Walter Mitty on quite the same level as Saving Mr. Banks, but I still really enjoyed it, despite some fairly monotonous parts and its divergence from James Thurber's short story.

Conclusion

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is an upbeat, and often times quite funny dramedy that greatly differs from the story that inspired it, but is still entertaining and ambitious as its own work. Some great work by Ben Stiller behind as well as in front of the camera and a meaningful, intimate message bolster it as one of the feel-good movies of the year. 

Rating: 7.5/10