Too Subtle. Bland. Slow. Not Charming and Not Funny

Rating: 5/10 (15 May 2014)

Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) is about to lose his job as he cannot find negative 25 showing ,we think, Adventurer/Photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn) which would go on the very last cover of Life Magazine. Life Mag is being bought out by another company. What to do? What to do?
Before I watched the movie I had these thoughts: Do you daydream? Of course you do. We all do. Do you ever do anything about your daydreams? Probably not. Take heart, Walter Mitty does something about his daydreams. You are in luck. You can live vicariously thru Walter Mitty in this movie. Lucky you.
Okay, maybe I daydreamed a bit. And, then I watched the movie and discovered you were not so lucky after all. Sorry. There was no secret life of Walter Mitty. James Thurber is spinning uncontrollably in his grave. We see a few daydreams in the beginning and think this will continue. Sadly no. No time for daydreaming, as he is in the real world and must find the missing negative and he goes off looking for Sean O'Connell in Greenland, Iceland, Afghanistan and the Himalayas. Not sure if the movie was actually shot in these locations or if a Green Screen was used. But, the scenery landscapes were captivating, awesome, and very beautiful. And, his dip into the sea with a shark nearby was pretty good too.
What didn't work: The Benjamin Button scene, the drunk helicopter pilot karaoke scenes, the chemistry with Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) and Safe - too safe - dialogues.
What would have helped? Traveling or some-such music when Walter goes here and there. Didn't happen. And, a better script with some funny and clever lines too. And, also another movie title as this one is grossly misleading.
Normally, when we see a Ben Stiller movie we look forward to his looking like a deer in the headlights.. That's his shtick. It is quite humorous.. Didn't happen. However, we do see a lot Stiller close-ups (but no deer look) of his face - perhaps too many - but he was also the Director and he can do that if he wants.
The movie is all monotone, slow and just another slice of life not going anywhere. The supporting cast were all good and Shirley McLaine as Walter's mother makes a short appearance. We did enjoy Sean Penn as he is always good.
At the end we get to see the last cover of Life Magazine. And, it will shock you, make you weepy as you reach for the Kleenex box you didn't think you needed. That picture was the only good thing about this movie. It is pure gold. The problem was that we had to go thru everything lame first. Bummer. (5/10)
Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: No.