An earnest and heartfelt story about self-discovery and living up to your potential

Rating: 8/10 (14 November 2014)

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY was one of many films that I was unable to see in theaters in 2013, and I was more than little worried given the rather lukewarm critical reception that it received. Thankfully, now having seen it, those fears have been assuaged. This film, while still a little overly earnest, is heartfelt and has a good message. And outside of the NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM movies, it's also one of the few films Ben Stiller has done that's appropriate for families. The story is about Walter Mitty who, in this film version, works for Life Magazine as a negative asset manager. Basically, he keeps track of all of the photographs that come in. As the magazine is in transition to becoming online only, a famous photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn) sends in a roll for use in the final print issue. In particular, one negative (#25) is to be used as the cover. However, it's missing and Walter has to track it down and find it. This serves as the springboard for Walter, a rather insular fellow who tends to zone out and daydream, to get out and make something of his life. One thing I really liked about this movie was the way in which it seamlessly blended Walter's fantasies with the real world. They offered insight into an otherwise closed-off personality (at least in the beginning), and were realized visually in a very cool way. I also enjoyed the overall visual aesthetic of the film, which had lots of wintry blues, grays and whites. The characters were satisfactorily drawn, although none of them were terribly deep, save Walter. I thought Kristin Wiig gave a nice performance, but her character was never really given much to do other than be the object of Walter's affections. On the downside, for all of the buildup to a few things which I won't spoil here, the end result is a bit underwhelming. Still, the journey to the end (and to the discoveries found there) is an interesting one. This movie turned out to be much better than I expected. It's a fun film that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Highly recommended.