Strange movies are easy to come by. Most successful movies come from plots that captivate interest, and usually that requires some wacky ideas. However, Secret Life of Walter Mitty might be one of the strangest. The film, based on the famous short story of the same name, is about a man who distracts himself from his boring day-to-day lifestyle with vivid daydreams of action and adventure. However, his life changes drastically after a mix-up at his workplace.
Walter Mitty, played by Ben Stiller, is in love. One of his coworkers, Cheryl, played by Kristin Wiig, is beautiful, kind and smart. However, Walter is the definition of boring; his job, his life, his hobbies, his accomplishments. How can he impress someone like her with the lack of fun that he is? His entire life, instead of going out and taking on the world, he has daydreamed. Walter daydreams of a life with her, of having amazing powers and enjoying a life of unpredictability. But when he snaps out of them, he is still the man he has always been.
This changes when a valuable photo goes missing from his company, resulting in a possible downsizing. Walter goes out and searches for it, his life morphing from one of normalcy and mediocrity to one of adventure. He travels all across the world to find this photo, and his daydreams become his reality.
This is one of my favorite performances from Ben Stiller. It’s a rather unconventional role for the comedian, as this is more of a drama than a comedy. However, he takes control of the character and helps project a charming, funny and relatable person. Although there are less laugh out loud moments than usual, some of the deadpan humor is guaranteed to draw some chuckles.
It’s family-friendly, has the mixture of action, drama, and comedy to keep it interesting, and has an amazing plot to couple along with it. Fans of violent or more blockbuster type movies will be less excited, as this reminds me of more of an indie film. For me personally, this movie checks all the boxes, along with having a fantastic soundtrack that I always find myself turning on during the day.
Rating: 9/10
“Reams and Reels,” written by Cade Smucker, dives into the intersection between books and movies. Reviewing books one week and movies the next, Sumcker analyzes the newest works of fiction on the market, telling you which are worth your time, and which are not.