Stop Dreaming. Start Living.

Rating: 8/10 (19 January 2014)

I'm a fan of Ben Stiller's directorial work and comedic work and he's a pretty talented guy. Zoolander, a film which he starred in and directed is bold and hilarious and a very fun time. But The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is different. It's much more serious and dramatic than a lot of his other roles. It gives Ben Stiller a chance to expand as a filmmaker and show how well of a visual director he is and if he can handle directing serious material.
I understand critics are split on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Audiences, for the most part, love it but on Rotten Tomatoes, critics have given this film a 50% which means 50% of critics enjoyed the film. It's kind of a love-it or hate-it film. I'm on the side that really enjoyed it. It's messages are simple, clear and relevant. America is known for being a generally lazy country and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is trying to inspire people to go and live their dream and do something great with their lives. It has a lot to say about following your dreams and says it clearly and in an entertaining fashion.
Ben Stiller's performance as Walter Mitty is stellar and engaging. Walter Mitty is a mild-mannered, shy guy and Stiller hits the nail on the head. It's interesting to see Kristin Wiig take on some serious material. She still has a couple of funny lines but for the most part, her character is a dramatic one. She handles it very well and is likable.
One of the film's flaws are the characters. There are a lot of generic characters that are hardly given any development including Adam Scott and Sean Penn's character. That didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of the film, though. The film almost entirely centers around Walter Mitty and his character is given a lot of attention to detail.
Ben Stiller proves himself as a dramatic director in this specifically and a visual director. The film is breathtaking in terms of visuals. The cinematography is something different than what you usually see in mainstream films. It sort of resembles Wes Anderson's without being a total rip-off.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a very fun time and a very good movie. It's worth your money.
I give The Secret Life of Walter Mitty a B+.
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