The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is one of the best surprises I have had watching movies in a long time. I went in to the movie expecting something silly with a somewhat meaningless plot that had probably spent its whole budget to get Ben Stiller to star in it. If you know anything about the movie you will know that all of that is completely wrong other than there are some silly parts in the movie. First off, Ben Stiller not only stars in the movie he also produced it and directed. The film also has a successful and meaningful plot which Stiller solely carries through the films 2 hour run time which is a testament to his dramatic acting.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty follows Negative Assets Manager Walter Mitty at LIFE magazine who has just learned the magazine will be switching to digital only format. Through the opening scene of the movie we learn Walter is a person who has nothing to show for his life and spends his free time day dreaming to live in his own fantasy world. The team in charge of the final printed issue of LIFE have got word from the magazine’s top photographer that he has taken the perfect photo for the final issue which captures the “quintessence” of LIFE. Walter hurries down to his workroom to view the photo but finds that it is missing from the roll. Walter is inspired by his dream girl co-worker Cheryl, who is interested Walter as well as the mystery of the missing photograph, to embark on a real adventure and find the photographer to collect the photo.
I’ve already done it but Ben Stiller’s performance is truly worth praising. This movie also has a good but not phenomenal supporting cast with the only memorable low point the minor role of Cheryl’s son. All the other supporting cast play their part in literally supporting Stiller’s Walter who is the star of the show. Along with Stiller’s acting the other part of this film that I believe propels this movie and it’s message forward is its spectacular soundtrack and it’s use in the films beautiful scenery. The soundtrack is led by David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” which is the perfect song and motif of the movie. Following up David Bowie is a mix of indie songs including Arcade Fire’s powerful “Wake Up,” Junip, Of Monsters and Men, and more. The film was mainly shot in Iceland and if you know anything about Iceland is that it has beautiful landscapes perfect for film. The music is interwoven with landscapes leading to a perfect mix of visuals and audio. Earlier I mentioned that the movie has some silly parts, which is true. However, they fit in with feeling of the film and do not feel silly in the world of the movie. Usually when I think of writing reviews I want to talk about the positives and negatives of a film but truly there are so few negatives to the movie that I can just list them right now.
- One-dimensional archetypal “villain”/jerk
- Poor performance from kid character Rich (even though I find it hard to truly criticize unknown child actors who are only in a few scenes)
- Sean Penn’s character is reduced to cameo role
- And I am told the film does not follow the actual book very well (if at all other than following a character who daydreams)
What makes The Secret Life of Walter Mitty such a great film is the ability for any viewer to connect with it personally and then feel better afterwards. It is one of the few movies I have seen that not only has a happy ending but also left me asking myself question about my own life. Walter represents all of us and then shows us anything is possible not just in day dreams but also in real life. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is most likely the surprise movie of the year for me. I went in to it not expecting much and saw a masterpiece.
My Rating: 9/10
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