The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)  

Review: written Jul 2016

Surprisingly thoughtful and starkly beautiful

Ben Stiller directs the 1939 short story, already brought to the big screen through Danny Kaye’s 1947 movie of the same name. The film starts as cool and aloof as the character appears to be, but it’s worth sticking with it to see the change as the film progresses. Ben Stiller directs himself as the titular daydreamer, who is a lonely, apparently buttoned up, individual in the Negative Asset department at Life magazine. As the magazine is downsized, he is tasked with producing the image to form the magazine cover, provided by the magazine’s ultra-reclusive photographer, who has (he claims) produced an image that is the ‘quintessence of Life”. However, the negative for which he is responsible has gone missing, and he must overcome his awkwardness to interact with the co-worker for whom he has a crush, as he searches for the elusive ‘Frame 25’..

If the first half is marked by day-dream heavy sequences which I found occasionally jarring, despite the cleverness of the photography, the second half is where the film really gains momentum, as the daydreams give way to Mitty’s reality as he finds ever new limits to his comfort zone. As we move from the office world filled with its somewhat too-cartoonish characters, we move to the bleak yet starkly beautiful scenery of Greenland and Iceland as the movie opens up both literally and figuratively.

If the film has a weakness it is that it hinges so much on Stiller’s performance. He gets away with it, but the role does not speak to his strengths, and the chemistry with Kirsten Wiig’s character is muted. This is more than made up for by the gentle and thoughtful way the movie unwraps its theme with Mitty’s revealing of his inner potential, combined with some truly exceptional photography. First time director’s can often fall into tricksy photography to mark their calling card, but here the tricks and ideas seem actually more like Stiller is having fun, rather than trying to just squeeze them in. It works, and ultimately, what really makes it work is not the set piece moments, but a gentle understated approach to the sequences between the set pieces.

Go with it, persevere through the daydream sequences which can be overegged.. and I think you’ll find this movie a surprise on many levels, quite beautiful, and ultimately far more satisfying than you probably expected. It’s more reflective, than comedic – and the better for it, if you know what you’re getting into.