The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, 2013.
Directed by Ben Stiller.
Starring Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Kathryn Hahn, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt and Shirley MacLaine.
SYNOPSIS:
Walter Mitty is a middle-aged man who has done nothing with his life. He continually loses himself in daydreams, wishing that he could break free of the mental shackles that prevent from taking a leap of faith. He works for Life magazine, which has just been bought by another company and is in the process of being shut down. Walter Mitty is given the task of finding a missing photo that will be the cover of the last issue, and it’s a quest that leads him half-way around the world.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a strange film. At some points it wants to be an uplifting, inspirational tale but it doesn’t reach those heights. Other times it seems to be a surreal film that blends fantasy and reality, but that thread is abandoned. I like Ben Stiller as a director and an actor but here I think he fell short of his ambition and the film felt flat for me.
I liked the action scenes and the cinematography. The landscapes were absolutely gorgeous and some of the shots while he was on the hunt for the photo were outstanding. The effects were excellent as well, especially in some of the daydream sequences. At some points I thought the film was going to transition through different genres, which I thought would have been a nice touch. This didn’t transpire however, and I thought the daydream cutaways weren’t used to their full potential. Scrubs did a much better job of using them.
The problem with the film is that the main thrust of the story simply isn’t compelling. There was no grand revelation for Walter Mitty, not one that came as any great surprise anyway. His journey, while impressive on the surface, is never shown to be that arduous and when he eventually does find something of importance it’s anti-climactic. Another problem is that the beats are very predictable, so I was left waiting for the film to play out, rather than being engrossed and waiting to see what happens next.
The performances were okay but there’s nothing noteworthy to comment upon in that regard. A lot of the comedy beats fell flat as well so even the moments of levity couldn’t shake the film from its dullness. There’s also part where Cheryl (Wiig) interprets Space Oddity by David Bowie as being about bravery and courage…I always thought it was about drugs.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty seeks to be life-affirming but it never quite reaches the heights of what it aspires to be. There were a few moments where it threatens to, for example the last shot of the film actually did exceed my expectations and was the perfect ending. Sadly, it was a rare moment of inspiration in a film that sought to be inspirational throughout. While it looks good and is directed well the story simply isn’t captivating enough to warrant any high praise.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert D. Spake – Find me on Facebook and Amazon.
Originally published November 28, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
