The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (PG)

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is a cinematic masterpiece that captures the life of a boring and socially awkward negative asset manager named Walter Mitty. When Life magazine goes digital and the company is downsized, Mitty is tasked with producing image #25, as it will eventually be on the cover. Walter quickly finds out that the photojournalist who took the images (Sean Penn) did not send image #25. The story follows Walter as he journeys around the world to find the image and save his career.  

The thing that impressed me the most about this film is the cinematography. You can easily tell that this was a passion project for Ben Stiller, as every shot, frame, and angle is displayed in such an elegant way. Shot location was a major aspect of this movie, as Stiller utilized many different locations to paint Walters’ story. Every shot seemed to be planned. Whether it was a sweeping shot of the beautiful Icelandic scenery or a slow pan showing Walter walking into his office building, you could tell that Stiller cared about this movie. Scenes that involved his imagination were also coordinated perfectly, as it gave Stiller free range to do anything and be creative. 

One cool aspect Stiller focused on throughout the movie was the difference between reality and false perception. It is shown early on that Walter often zones out at times. There are multiple scenes where the audience is able to see what is going on in Walter’s head. The element of understanding what’s real and what’s fake is used perfectly, as we are able to study Walter as not just a character in a movie, but as a real human being. One scene that really stuck out for me is when Walter imagines his co-worker and crush Cheryl, singing “Space Oddity.” In this scene, Walter is contemplating riding in a helicopter with an inebriated pilot in attempt to track down the photojournalist. Seeing Cheryl sing in front of him not only made him miss her, but he gained the confidence needed to continue his journey. Stiller recognized the audiences’ need to be able to understand not only what the character Walter Mitty is doing, but also how he thinks and the choices he makes. 

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” also does a great job at creating a real sense of reality. What I mean by this is Stiller portrays Mitty as an “average man.” You don’t see Mitty happily married or wealthy. Instead, we see the opposite. Walter is an unmarried middle-aged man who suffers from anxiety and loneliness. Stiller wasn’t afraid to create a character who was vulnerable as we constantly see Mitty being beaten down by his peers. Whether it’s his boss (Adam Scott) aggressively teasing him or failing to produce image #25, Walter is consistently portrayed as a failure. It’s refreshing to see a character that has feelings and isn’t immune. As an audience member and writer, I can relate to a character more if he/she is not a robot. Stiller’s portrayal of Walter Mitty perfectly illustrates how life isn’t always perfect.  

I didn’t have too many problems with this movie. Some story ideas were questionable, but all in all, I thought the story was very linear and easy to follow. The dialogue was good, but nothing spectacular. I felt captivated throughout the whole film, as every scene was interesting and unique. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is a cinematic masterpiece that demonstrates how life isn’t always picture perfect. Ben Stiller created a film with beautiful cinematography, a simple story, and a character who is an “average man” in a hero’s journey.