I imagined Ben Stiller’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” to be a much stronger film than it turned out to be. This is a very loose adaptation of the 1947 original and the acclaimed James Thurber short story. The beauty of the written work was figuring out, through the words, which situations were real and which were not. In transitioning that concept to the screen, Stiller paints a very obvious picture of this “dream theme” as he stars in and directs one of the most disappointing films of 2013.
Print magazines are dying, and in life, we all have to as well. Put the two together and you get the backdrop of “Walter Mitty”. Walter is a 16-year photo assets manager at LIFE Magazine, which is about to publish its final issue before the entire operation moves online, which will cost many workers their jobs.
Acclaimed world-class, world traveling photographer Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn) has sent the negative roll which contains the final shot (#25) that’s to be used for cover of the final issue. But Walter opens up the canister and UH-OH! – #25 is missing! With his job on the line (“Parks and Rec”‘s Adam Scott plays his cartoonish new boss) and Cheryl, a potential girlfriend (played by Kristen Wiig) in sight, lonely, unadventurous Walter decides to turn his life around by trying to become someone he’s always wanted to – a hero.
So Walter goes on this incredible journey in search of Sean and the photo. He gets caught-up in a few amazing situations, with a little Jiminy Cricket on his shoulder in the form of Todd, an E-Harmony consultant (Patton Oswalt). The popular online dating site and the pizza chain Papa Johns get a ridiculously huge amount of promotion and product placement. Now we know how producer/director Stiller was able to fund this ambitious production.
To sum up “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” – it simply tries too hard. Right from the start (and the “cutsie” opening credits) Stiller relies on “quirky” instead of telling what could have been a compelling story in a more believable fashion. His attempt at mixing Wes Anderson and “Forrest Gump” fails miserably. And because the “real” situations Walter finds himself in are so over the top, his fantasy sequences don’t work. And there are a few sequences, including one involving “Benjamin Button”, that are very uncomfortable to watch.
90% of the story is obvious even before the film really gets going, and the lackluster script, which provides no depth or suspense, can’t fill-in the other 10% with any surprises. Stiller plays typical Stiller with Walter – lost, confused, and needy. I felt the same way while watching “Mitty”. Maybe it’s all going to be a fantasy – with some great conclusion. That doesn’t happen. The final 20 minutes, including the on-screen introductions of Penn and Oswalt, do add some much needed bite. And the ending is actually nice. I wish the entire film could have been in that same tone: simple, off-beat, emotional and rewarding.
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is rated PG for some language and mild violence. It’s appropriate for kids 12 and up.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” gets a C.