The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is an imitation of a heart, but not a cold one.

Rating: 6/10 (19 January 2014)

When the first trailer of The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty hit the internet, we were in awe. Set to an Of Monsters and Men song that immediately grew on all of us and without giving anything away, it hinted at a cathartic epic that would make us feel creative and free. As a young writer and daydreamer, I loved the idea of incorporating casual fantasies into a script and was very excited to see how it was done in a major picture. It's a shame that this highlight reel was the limit of Mitty's allure. After an over-saturation of marketing, the mystery faded and few were left still intrigued. During that short period of hype, I decided to read the screenplay and it was a huge mistake. Thank god, it was not the draft they shot. I don't even know who would write the draft I read. I loved Steve Conrad's The Weather Man but The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty was terrible, both in how it was written and what was written. It was a rambling mess. I really hoped they changed it but reviews had me concerned.
Fortunately, Ben Stiller tightened up the script a lot and although it kept the main storyline and twists, it moves a lot smoother. I have a soft spot for Stiller. He was one of my favourite actors when I first started to get into films. If it wasn't for him, I would've never watched The Royal Tenenbaums and began my Wes Anderson obsession. He's not perfect, but I like his style. Zoolander is great fun, if extremely silly and dated now. Tropic Thunder has its moments, but it's way too bloated. Even though he's exploring something a bit more light and twee, Mitty also had the danger of being bloated but Stiller was able to keep control and let it flow more intimately. Unfortunately, although he's growing in confidence as a director, his presence as the star may the film's biggest downside. We're simply too familiar with him. He isn't believable in his timidness and his moments of growth feel forced. We have a supposedly untraveled introverted character, but we already have many stock images of Ben Stiller in extravagant landscapes in our heads. His Walter Mitty adventure isn't anything special and that affects the film severely.
Perhaps this could've improved if he swapped roles with Parks and Recreation's Adam Scott. I know he's talented, but he was simply awful as Walter's boss, a role that Stiller could have just don the White Goodman beard and rule again with a much better sense of humour. But then, would Scott have been believable climbing mountains and evading shark attacks? I don't know. But it would've felt better to watch. He's more of an underdog type. On the other hand, Kristen Wiig, who seems to be in everything these days was pleasantly charming in a role that she could've easily overdone. In Walter Mitty's first forty minutes, it is yet again a victim of its marketing. In its most confident and entertaining sequences, you can't help but shake off the feeling that we've seen this setup again and again condensed into its several two minute trailers with only a few scenes added. It's difficult to invest in his journey with that much familiarisation. The initial fantasy scenes are hit and miss, some fun, some plain weird. The problem is that the 'real world' of Mitty is a different planet to ours so his fantasies aren't as distinct as they could be and pop culture references feel strange and out of place.
However, if Walter Mitty is assured in anything, its the aesthetic. That's what everyone talked about when that trailer hit, it was all about the cinematography. Now, it's certainly an improvement on Stiller's other films but it comes with its problems. Too often the frame feels too wide. It makes the characters too grand rather than capturing isolation. They don't feel like ordinary people doing extraordinary things, these are movie stars and it takes us out of the fiction. But the film still has its wistful charm with its palette of blues and beiges and its wonderful score. Although sometimes its quirky humour doesn't fit the pacing, it can have a sharp wit, particularly provided by Patton Oswalt's sole in-person scene. It's a film that makes you feel good in shards but it's as mildly irritating as it is mildly entertaining. I'm just relieved that Stiller fixed the script so significantly. The buildup works but it loses points on the weak payoff. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty will work for some who remain believers and even if we could criticise who Stiller is to tell us these messages of how to live our lives when he can clearly afford such luxury. But then who can deny a bit of well-meaning cheerful optimism?
6/10