If one trailer in 2013 left you thinking, “That movie could either be good or terrible,” it was the trailer of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This movie stars Ben Stiller, more or less, outside of his usual comedy genre. This movie is certainly not There’s Something About Mary or Meet the Parents. This isn’t the equivalent of Ed Helms in Jeff Who Lives at Home, Jim Carey in The Truman Show, or Will Ferrell in Everything Must Go. Those movies, each starring a comedic actor outside of their comfort zone, were more dramas, whereas this movie is both a drama and an adventure. In many regards, I appreciate the effort of Stiller venturing into something new. I think there is a place for a character of his ability in similar films. Unfortunately, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is not this movie. The movie is rated PG, and I’m not entirely sure why. This isn’t Night at the Museum. I don’t feel like the younger audiences had/would have much interest in this movie. And even if it did appeal to this group, I’m not sure Stiller is the star to lead it. Maybe, but I’m not convinced. With that said, I appreciate a movie that aims for the PG rating when it seems it could easily drift towards the PG-13 rating
Stiller also directs this movie. He’s had some success in this area with hits like Reality Bites, Tropic Thunder, and Zoolander. As mentioned above, he’s taking on new territory with his acting. He’s taking on an equally as daunting task in directing. The movie is ambitious. It aims to accomplish a lot while being profound and simple simultaneously. I don’t think Stiller is quite skilled enough in either discipline yet. I still think the Steve Conrad written piece needs some work in the hands of a more experienced director and maybe a more dramatic actor. It teeters that line of wanting to be believable but having a script that makes you want to believe that this is all just a fantasy. Nevertheless, it’s a relevant piece. I’ll compare it to The Social Network only in dealing with some hot issues of the day that weren’t even issued at all some 10-15 years ago. There are many other differences to begin, even to mention here. The Social Network was simply a fantastic movie based on a true story. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was…well…neither of those things.
The premise is cute (I guess). Walter is looking for love. He’s on Eharmony and finds his co-worker Cheryl (Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids, televisions Saturday Night Live). Walter is very insecure. He’s a daydreamer. He’s been on Eharmony for an undisclosed period, but this is the first time he gathered the confidence to send a “wink” to anyone. When his wink doesn’t go through, he discovers through his profile manager Todd (Patton Oswalt – Young Adult, Big Fan) that it’s because his profile is incomplete, and thus he cannot communicate. Walter learns it because he hasn’t done anything noteworthy in his life. He’s an opposing assets manager at Life magazine by day and a world daydreamer by night.
Walter and his co-workers learn that the next issue of Life will be the last issue as the company is downsizing. Famed photographer and long-time correspondent Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn – Mystic River, Dead Man Walking) has sent to Life a series of recent pictures, including ‘negative 25’, a photo he has called his best photo ever. He hopes they use this shot as the final issue’s cover. The only problem is that Walter and his team have lost the photograph. So Walter avoids contact with his new boss, who has told him he wants to have that photo in his hands the next time he sees Walter. Why Walter cares about appeasing his boss when he knows he will no longer be working for the company is beyond me, but that is not the point here. Instead, Walter is frantic about finding the lost photo. He solicits the help of Cheryl (the same person who was scared to even flirt with a few days prior) to help him look for clues in the adjacent photos in hopes of trying to figure out where the nomadic Sean is. They pinpoint him to places such as Greenland and Iceland. Soon the man who never did anything is suddenly jumping out of a plane into an ocean and running away from erupting volcanoes. Along the way, with his newly found experiences in life, his Eharmony profile continues to get more and more likes and has more and more women interested in meeting him.
Ultimately, this movie, I don’t think, has many audiences. I believe there is a contingent of different groups of people who will like this. Still, I believe there is an equal number of people in each of these groups that will find it either too little kiddish or too far out there to be able to appreciate it as an adventure story. It’s not really a fantasy. Thus it doesn’t allow you to suspend belief as a typical fantasy might. Finally, it doesn’t really play out enough like a drama. Walter is a likable guy, but I don’t feel like we care enough if he prevails or if he fails. If the trailer interests you, maybe check it out. If, when watching the preview, you think that it just looks kind of dumb, trust your gut instinct and avoid it.
Plot 6.5/10
Character Development 6.5/10
Character Chemistry 6/10
Acting 7/10
Screenplay 7/10
Directing 7.5/10
Cinematography 9/10
Sound 7.5/10
Hook and Reel 7/10 (I liked it early but lost interest as it moved along)
Universal Relevance 7/10 (yeah, a bit…discovering “life” before it’s too late)
71%
Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie
- Stranger Than Fiction
- The Way, Way Back
- Into the Wild
- Eat. Pray. Love.
- Safety Not Guaranteed