One of 2013's best films

Rating: 8/10 (14 January 2014)

More than other films, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" fractures the audience. Split along the dividing line between cynicism and idealism, one camp finds a sweet treat celebrating the underdog while the other chokes on treacle.
Armed with a terrific script penned by Steven Conrad, star and Director Ben Stiller proves his mettle in front of and behind the camera. His Mitty is an everyman sacrificing all for family; the flights of fancy an escape from a life lived in quiet desperation. Set upon a quest to find an important film negative, Mitty surpasses fantasy, finds the negative and wins the girl. It's pure hokum, yet surprisingly uplifting. Risking oxymoron, though steeped in fantasy "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is unerringly real.
The film also peddles the notion our increasingly wired world, where it's not real unless posted on Facebook, is fallacious and dangerous in that human connection to the world and each other is becoming the fantasy. Think of sightseers sequestered behind iPads and smart phones snapping away in lieu of directly experiencing the marvels before them. Or the story of a man beaten by several others on a subway platform where none of the bystanders stepped up or called 911 but did record the scene on their mobile devices.
Best expressed by the object of Mitty's search, photographer Sean O'Connell (a fine Sean Penn) is poised to take a spectacular snap of the elusive Snow Leopard, balks and states (paraphrasing), "Sometimes I don't take it. I just like to be in the moment." A concept drowning in contemporary life built on instantaneous gratification. (The difference between the immediacy of digital photography and traditional which requires time, patience and a swim in smelly, carefully prepared chemicals.)
"To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life." This cinematic "Life" magazine motto - the film's theme - infers the adventurous spirit, curiosity and purposefulness require resuscitation. Absent the phony, wise guy RomCom dialogue used in most of the ilk, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," quietly celebrates the human spirit like no other film in recent memory. And there is nary a cynical frame in it.
Kristen Wiig is understated and quite appealing. In an unforgettable scene, Walter fantasizes she takes the stage in Nuuk, Greenland to dedicate a rendition of Bowie's "Space Oddity" to him. The ballad rouses Walter to board a helicopter and, hanging on for dear life, continue the quest. Later, while pedaling in hot pursuit of Sean O'Connell, a large flock of birds creates Wiig's likeness. It's an amazing image (as is the cinematography of Iceland and British Columbia).
Adam Scott's corporate raider is a bit broad and one dimensional. Shirley MacLaine is fine as Edna Mitty; a sweet, pie-baking Mom direct from the cover of "The Saturday Evening Post."
If fault is to be found it is in overt product placement that is counter to the film's tone. In defense, the Papa Johns tie-in is motivated unlike Fedex trucks prowling streets in many films. But the inclusion of Patton Oswalt as an E-Harmony rep is an unnecessary distraction.
Not unlike any other romantic comedy, this is a film of standard movie plot points and complications. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" soars in its heartfelt, assured and gentle execution. Given its definitive slant, your mileage may vary.