We live in a cynical time and age and nowhere is that more reflected than through the medium of cinema. Just a quick glance at the movies that have broken box office records in the past few years and many of them (The Dark Knight, The Hunger Games, and Man of Steel to mention a few) are incredibly dark and typically involve impending destruction and the end of world. In the midst of all this doom and gloom, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty hit theaters in late December with an unapologetically sappy and uncynical tone and promptly flopped on arrival. One of the casualties of the crowded 2013 Holiday season, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a lukewarm effort that definitely left audiences and critics with mixed reactions and it’s easy to see why.
Unknown to most is the fact that The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is actually a remake of a 1947 movie and both are based on a short story written by James Thurber all the way back in 1939. As dated as the origin material is though, the core of the story remains current and more than fitting for a modern day retelling. Walter Mitty (Stiller) is a meek and introverted long-time employee of Life Magazine who happens to have a crush on the new girl (Wiig) in the office. Leading a simple and unassuming life, the dissatisfied Walter has a tendency to daydream and fantasize about heroic exploits and romantic adventures throughout any given day. But Walter`s life gets turned upside down by the announcement that Life Magazine is shutting down its print edition (something that actually happened in 2007) and laying off the majority of their staff. Things get even worse for Walter when a valuable negative sent by famed photographer Sean O'Connell (Penn) gets misplaced on his watch. Spurred on by the threats of an insufferable boss and a desire to impress the woman of his dreams, Walter buys a plane ticket and soon embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will ultimately turn him into a man reborn.
With such a premise, it`s hard to believe that The Secret Life of Walter Mitty failed to click with a large mainstream audience but the fault may lie in the execution. A tale of pure escapism that seeks to inspire and ignite the imagination, cheesiness and hokiness reign supreme here and an extensive suspension of disbelief is required to properly enjoy this movie. Toss in some cliched indie movie tropes as well as frequent and obtrusive product placement and you’ve got yourself a less than palatable updated version of a forgotten classic. At its core, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a slightly naive feel-good movie with a simple message of breaking the shackles of normal dreary life and venturing beyond its suffocating confines. On a basic level, this film does accomplish that but the journey doesn't feel as well-rounded and satisfactory as it should. With the lifelong failure suggested by a blank dating profile section staring him right in the face, Walter Mitty represents all of us who do the bare minimum and fantasize about their dreams instead of actually going out there and seizing them. A worthy message indeed, but the film then goes ahead and sells you a superficial and conveniently packaged story that betrays that very message.
It`s at this interval that we arrive at the main problem of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. As deep and insightful as it thinks it is, this movie is an easily disposable product that plays things far too safe and conventional. While much of what we see is all nice and warm and fuzzy, very little of it is memorable and even less resonates. Corny reiterations of the Life Magazine motto recur throughout but the film only scratches the surface of the potential of truly exploring the meaning behind that motto. Although Walter does go to some remote and beautiful places, risk his life on numerous occasions and experience some astonishing things, most of it feels like we're watching someone crossing off an arbitrary checklist of cool things to do. After some unsubtle plot-integral product placements (involving eHarmony and Papa John`s amongst others) and a couple of death-defying feats and exotic trips later, we are expected to have experienced a complete change in the character but very little of it feels genuine. When Walter`s voyage comes full circle, he has the expected moments of resolution with the various important people in his life but they seem routine rather than deep or insightful. And the funny thing is that while Walter`s adventure scenes are amazingly shot and stunningly beautiful, they are the weakest element in this film. Working as standalone scenes, they’re astonishing. In the context of the movie however, they seem rudderless and perfunctory. Much like pretty postcards from faraway places, these adventures end up seeming like token things to be collected rather than actual, vivid, tangible experiences.
After the success of his 2008 film Tropic Thunder, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty represents an impressive and worthy different direction for Ben Stiller. Known mainly for romantic comedies that range from the passable (There’s Something About Mary, Meet the Parents) to the atrocious (Along Came Polly, Meet the Fockers), this new movie is an interesting choice for Stiller and his low-key performance as the good-natured but timid Walter is spot on. Although Walter is undeniably an oddball, he possesses an earnestness and everyday quality that helps ground this movie and lends it some of its best moments. Sean Penn also pops up in what is effectively a cameo role and his scene involving a snow leopard is simple yet powerfully effective. There are some great laughs to be found here and Walter`s increasingly farfetched and extravagant daydreams are perhaps the best parts of this movie. What was lacking unfortunately was a better developed and more nuanced storyline for Walter, a storyline that ultimately fails to deliver the promise of what could have been. Pretty awesome trailer though.
Verdict: As beautifully shot and visually stunning as this movie is, a simplistic barebones storyline and love story both fail to engage at the same level. In the end, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a refreshing change that occasionally delivers but fails to elevate itself beyond its many flaws.
C+
Movie info:
Runtime: 114 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Adam Scott
Director: Ben Stiller
Screenplay: Steve Conrad
Cinematography: Stuart Dryburgh
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