Review: ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’

James Thurber’s story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty appeared in the New Yorker in 1939. Since then, the name Walter Mitty has become synonymous with boring men with delusions of heroism.  Eight years after publication a film version was made, starring Danny Kaye. This is an update of that film.

In this version Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) works at Life magazine, where he oversees the cover photograph for the magazine’s iconic final print issue. Most of the staff face job losses, yet what really has Walter’s imagination stirred up is his crush on a new co-worker, Cheryl.

When the magazine’s star photographer sends in his final roll of film with the note that his cover image (negative 25) is the ‘quintessential’ image, excitement reigns. Yet negative 25 cannot be found. With his job on the line and Cheryl to impress, Walter is forced to stop imagining a life lived boldly, and has to step into it.

His quest for the missing image takes him to places like Greenland, Iceland and Afghanistan, where he finds himself doing things he hasn’t even dreamed of before – jumping out of helicopters, escaping from erupting volcanoes and more. This makes the filmmakers’ choice of Life magazine rather apt, given the company’s motto had to do with seeing the world and bringing the things it offers to life.

This is one of the most beautifully structured films I’ve seen in a long time. Every little piece of information given early on comes back to play a part later in the story. And an ongoing series of interactions with a customer service rep at the eHarmony online dating site provide a hilarious running gag.

Yet The Secret Life of Walter Mitty isn’t an outrageously funny film. It’s witty, rather than guffaw-worthy. There are hints of the comedy we know Stiller is capable of (the reverse-aging Benjamin Button parody almost had me wetting my pants), but overall the film relies more on a wide range of emotions than on laughs alone.

The cinematography is glorious, helped of course by the range of exotic locations that Walter travels to. Despite having access to the modern technology available today, Stiller doesn’t rely on it to create Walter’s inner world. Of course there is some but most of the action feels realistic rather than cartoonish.

While not groundbreaking, this is an entertaining and enjoyable film that will have you leaving the cinema with a smile on your face…and perhaps yearn for a new kind of adventure in life.

6.5/10

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