The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Director: Ben Stiller
Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Shirley MacLaine, Patton Oswalt, and Sean Penn.
Rated PG for some crude comments, language, and action violence.
Ben Stiller sure has come a long way as a filmmaker and he takes his biggest leap with his latest project: bringing James Thurber's classic short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, to the big screen. There is some some truly picturesque cinematography throughout the film with a nice story of a dreamer who dared to be adventurous.
In the film, Stiller plays the titular character, Walter Mitty, a man who has always been a dreamer and occasionally zones out of real life to play out his fantasies in his mind. He is a simple and reserved man who harbors strong feelings for his new co-worker, Cheryl (a pleasant Kristen Wiig), who has become the object of his latest daydreams. When their jobs are threatened, Walter must track down a missing film print from famed photographer, Sean O'Connell (Oscar winner Sean Penn). The journey to find the film print takes Walter on a thrilling adventure that even his imagination cannot fathom.
Walter Mitty is a imaginative piece of filmmaking. Ben Stiller is best known for his more comedic films, both in front of and behind the camera, but this material dares Stiller to bring something more to the screen. His ambitions are great, and sometimes he succeeds. The film has its charms and is supported by a great soundtrack.
I must confess that I did expect more out of the film based on the trailers. Perhaps, I was just expecting something else. At times I felt that Stiller wasn't sure if this was more of a comedy or drama. The two genres can walk hand in hand, but this film felt a little conflicted about which it really wanted to be. There were also some scenes that could have used a little more energy to them as I found myself also daydreaming while in the theater. Overall, Ben Stiller shows some real promise as a director and I hope he continues to pursue more challenging projects. He may end up getting some well deserved critical recognition.
RATING: B+
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