The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Review

[Westside Steve]

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

20^th Century Fox

PG 114 min

Those of you who recall high school American literature will be familiar with James Thurber most notable work The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It's a story about a milquetoast type of fellow who lives a life of adventure albeit only through the portal of his own mind. He is not psychotic by any means but most certainly given to bouts of daydreaming which sometimes puzzle and sometimes annoy his friends family and his employers.

Take note that this is the basis of Ben Stiller's new film of the same name yet only the premise has been preserved for the screen. I think it's fair to call this an update rather than a faithful reproduction of the 1930s story. Not a problem.

I'd mentioned earlier that I'm trying to catch a few films from an article I'd read quite a while ago with some rough predictions for the upcoming Oscars. At the time of the writing I assume that it was the Academy favorites, Stiller Shirley MacLaine and Sean Penn, in the cast that made it seemed this one might snag a nomination. To be honest I I think that might be a stretch, though stranger things have happened.

 

In the modernized version Mitty (Stiller) has a lackluster job in the basement of the legendary LIFE Magazine offices where he arranges the negatives for the photographic spreads. Like too many historical icons LIFE Magazine has become obsolete at least in the eyes of the corporation who has decided to eliminate or at least completely change the magazine (possibly to a digital form. To make matters worse they've set in a particularly obnoxious hatchet man (Hilarious performance by Adam Scott) who seems to have taken a particular dislike to the unassuming Mitty.

 

 

The poor guy has one final assignment which will probably make the difference as to whether he stays with the downsized publication or goes. That assignment is to process a photo shoot by the world's most famous photographer (Penn) who has entrusted him with the negatives. The bad news is he has somehow misplaced number 25 which appears to be the one slated for the cover of the final issue.

And so it begins. Mitty embarks on a worldwide quest to track down the photographer before the deadline. Most of the time you can't really tell which of the events are real and which are in the mind.

But for the most part the adventure is surrealistic, the scenery almost spectacular, the characters offbeat and charismatic and the story itself good hearted. I also liked the romantic side story featuring Kristen Wiig as very sweet single mother who has caught the eye of the bashful Mitty.

 

Probably as more and more heavy hitters are added into the Oscar battle it's less likely that THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTYwill get serious Best Picture consideration but it's still a very pleasant and enjoyable film.

B

WSS