See this movie. Bring a date. Bring your kids.

Rating: 9/10 (26 December 2013)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is triumphant, captivating, affirming, quirky, and original. With this film, Ben Stiller proves himself to be a director of vision and depth. Writer Steve Conrad also deserves accolades for his imaginative and uplifting screenplay. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) reassures us that there is beauty within us all; that we have a magnificent world to explore; that there are many kind and compassionate humans to cross paths with; and that it IS possible to reclaim our dreams. The "Space Oddity" ("Major Tom") scene with Kristen Wiig is sheer perfection, one of my favorite cinematic moments of all time.
This isn't to say that the movie is without flaws. Most of the characters are pretty one-dimensional, and the film takes a couple of "cute" risks that don't quite pan out. The whole eHarmony guy thing could have been done SO much better, and the great Shirley MacLaine is pretty much wasted here. That seems like a lot of flaws, but this movie's weaknesses are so far outshone by its strengths that the faults don't matter. As Walter might say, it is easy to suspend disbelief.
See this movie. Bring a date. Bring your kids.