Movie Review: THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (2013)

It’s good when certain talent, be it actors or directors, excel at a certain brand of filmmaking. It’s absolutely amazing when that same talent drifts out of their comfort zone to create something wonderful with equal skill. Here is my Movie Review of ‘The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty’.

Blank Page Rating: 5 out 5 Quintessence(s)

Ben Stiller is undoubtedly one of the best comedic actors of his generation. But as a director, Stiller creates this beautiful story about a man who daydreams a little too much, but eventually gets to live the kind of life, the thoughts of which usually distracted from his own.

An employee of Life Magazine, Stiller’s Walter Mitty is faced with termination as the famed magazine shuts their doors entrusting to him to provide the photo for its last magazine cover. The MacGuffin of the story is this lost picture, the search for which starts him on a life-changing journey of epic proportions. While this may not sound like an original idea, the story by Steve Conrad, cinematography by Stewart Dryburgh and execution of it all by Stiller is as breathtaking to watch as the movie itself.

‘The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty’ works due to equal parts of subtle performances and story with outrageous locales and amazing special effects. Walter searches for the missing picture, taken by a world renowned photographer, by chasing him around exotic locations all over the world, gaining experiences that force him out of his meek life into one of endless possibilities. This, otherwise dull, story of endearment is kept interesting with very toned down, yet spectacular special effects as Walter ‘zones out’ almost every other scene allowing the audience to live through his fantastical daydreams and giving contrast to his more mundane real life.

My only complaint in a movie with honest portrayals of real characters are the corporate stooges led by Adam Scott that seemed like they belonged in a typical Ben Stiller comedy rather than a movie like this. Despite this there are many other moments where Stiller-ness comes through, but those instances are a nice change of pace that adds a little silly to Walter’s dead pan seriousness, like Patton Oswalt’s character.

‘The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty’ is a wonderful movie that captures the ‘what if’s of a life lived with hope and shows what it could be if one stops dreaming and starts living. I swear the movie itself isn’t as cheesy as that last line was.

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