Succeeds not exactly for realism, but has huge emotional impact from start to finish

Rating: 8/10 (16 September 2014)

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" includes a truly uplifting story and gives a push to everybody to live through their dreams instead of dreaming through their lives. If I had to pick my favorite component of the film, I'd probably go with the writing. However, I have to say that I also liked most of the performances. Stiller made a good job as the lead and so did Wiig. Adam Scott ("Parks and Recreation") was a good choice for the main antagonist to Mitty and he made slick really work. He really nailed his scenes, also the condescending way in which he treated the dreamer Walter Mitty.
Maybe Walter's adventures were a bit too extreme or it felt a bit of a strange coincidence that Oswalt's character (always nice to see Patton, even if only in a small role and I did not recognize his voice, so it was even more of a delight when I saw him) always called him in the toughest of situations at the volcano or with the shark... It was a bit funny too though. That shark scene was a bit over the top for me. The stormy sea would have been enough already. Sean Penn has a small, but significant role too. For the most part of the movie, he only exists on a photo, but it fits nicely. Good casting decision here and I'm not sure somebody else could have worked that character so well. Sadly, I was not too big on the photo/wallet story, but anyway, the character was great too nonetheless. And was that missing photo (and the dismissals resulting from it) really realistically reason enough to trigger Mitty's adventurism? I'm not so sure. Or putting it together piece by piece, for example with that chunky drunken pilot? Well, maybe you should not really question the film in depth, but just enjoy it and its message for what it is.
This movie offers many great symbolisms and those you will have to find for yourself though for the most part. I will just mention two, the camera from above that makes the office workers look like a swarm of ants or everything that involved sending a wink early on, some nice criticism to the online world here. Loved it. Watching it again, I would probably even find many more. Another thing I liked was that it ended before Mitty and Wiig's character start dating or become a couple as it really was not about romance, more about finding yourself and living that way. Everything else comes on its own afterward. The movie has some great music. The Major Tom scene was possibly my absolute highlight. It was a key moment in Mitty's life and at the same time obviously also for the whole movie. Sadly I must have missed the scene from the trailer when Mitty runs next to all these "Person of the Year" photos from Life magazine. Anyway, back to the music, apart from Major Tom I also liked the use of the song "Dirty Paws" by "Of Monsters and Men".
There is actually another Walter Mitty movie based on the same story from 1947 and I have gotten curious. Maybe I will check this one out someday. Anyway, Stiller as a director and lead actor really knocks it out of the park once again, just like in Tropic Thunder. It is not too often the case for me that I rate films from the same director an 8, but here it is. I am curious about his next works behind the camera. I was wowed for the two hours that this film went on and I recommend it a lot. If you're lucky, this movie can become even a life-changing experience for you, depending on how much you can identify with the central character. You won't have to travel the world and fight sharks to make a crucial change though.