“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is a family friendly movie about dreaming big, acting spontaneous and being adventurous. That it has a patterned, scientific, literal mindedness to its approach is part of this perfectly coifed film’s problem. Ben Stiller has made a film where the magic and the life lessons are all paint by numbers.
Walter Mitty (Stiller) as described here and in James Thurber’s famous short story from 1939 is a daydreamer, constantly getting lost in the clouds with fantasies of rescuing puppies in a burning building for the girl of his dreams (Kirsten Wiig) or having an epic, super power driven fight with his boss (Adam Scott).
But his real life involves processing film prints for the dying Life magazine, and he finds himself unable to think of anything he’s done notable or interesting as he fills out an online dating profile. When the prized photo intended for the cover goes missing, he sets off on a quest to track down its elusive photographer (Sean Penn). Continue reading “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”