"Stay gold, Pony Boy!"

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2015)

This movie started out slow for me and was starting to get a bit tedious with Ben Stiller's portrayal of the title character, but the Greenland/Iceland trip managed to win me over. Kristen Wiig's take on Bowie's "Space Odyssey" was what was needed to add some poignancy to Walter Mitty's (Stiller) quest to discover himself, find adventure, and win over the unattainable love of his life.
I guess the reason I mention Iceland is because I toured the island in 1977, and it's really not the place one thinks of as a favored tourist destination. There was no Papa John's there forty years ago, so I guess they've come a long way. Actually, I'm still kind of doubting there's one there.
What I particularly enjoyed was the way the film had Mom Shirley MacLaine save the day by recovering Walter's wallet from the trash can. That brought the movie full circle back to the mysterious Negative #25 at the heart of the story. With Stiller directing and in the lead role I wasn't sure what to expect as I'm not a fan of his comedy stuff, but he had a way of making things turn out for the best here. The only question that remains with me is whether Adam Scott's beard was real or not.