If you need reminding that there is beauty in the world...

Rating: 9/10 (11 August 2014)

This ranks as close to a "perfect ten" as you can get in my book.
If you want to see the beauty of life and this world encapsulated in a movie, watch The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
I understand why it got mixed reviews. This particular type of film isn't for everyone. If you've never stared in wonder at an amazing photograph in National Geographic...or wanted to cry when you saw a fierce big cat in a cage...or thought the deep lines in an old woman's face were striking...then this movie may seem overly stylized to you.
It is also surprisingly short on dialogue. I'm a wordsmith by trade and you'd think that would bother me. It didn't. The lines were perfect. They conveyed emotion without gimmick. (Hey, I love pieces that are all about the dialogue...Pulp Fiction, Before Sunset, anything with Robert Downey Jr in it...but you don't always need it.)
Often a film can let you down at the end...I've reviewed a few, like Noah, that captured my interest but left me feeling dissatisfied when the credits began to roll. This movie was consistent...interesting, thinking, all the way through. Without giving anything away, the screenplay writer didn't seem to feel the need to resolve every little issue, or tie up things too neatly.
My advice...avoid comparing to any other big fantastical story films like Big Fish. Try to judge this film on its own merits. The cinematography is incredible. It jives perfectly with the soundtrack. With quietly powerful performances by Stiller, Wiig, Penn, MacLaine, Martinez, this flick is engineered to touch your heart. Nothing wrong with that!