Day Tripping the Life: Fantastic

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2014)

If you are craving to have your artistic soul fed, this is the movie for you. Moving at a slower pace with an attention to detail, this movie is not for the adrenaline junkie. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, takes you on a journey with an average man with plain Jane friends. Walter Mitty, a negative assets manager at Life magazine, is a middle age man that lives a routine and mundane life. He lives his life vicariously through the adventures of his photographer friend, Sean O'Connell. Sean is a free spirit who lands in far away places to document life. The negatives (how pictures used to be shot, as my young son would say, in the olden days) are then sent to Walter for review.
Loosely based on current events, Life magazine makes a monumental decision to stop printing their magazine and go web only. With this comes a whole set of complications at work. Walter is put in charge of frame 25, from a negative that was shot by the famous Sean O'Connell. When frame 25 cannot be located, that is when all hell breaks loose. Walter is unable to find it, so his journey begins. Walter travels to Iceland, Greenland, on a shipping vessel, and through the Middle East on his quest for negative 25. As he travels, work is putting pressure on him to find this missing negative. His new boss harasses him regarding his recent travels.
Walter suffers from elaborate daydreams that take him away from the moment. His daydreams are action packed, where he is the hero and says all the right words. In real life, Walter is slightly plain and not able to say any of the right words at the right time, which is very awkward.
As Walter travels across the world and finds himself, the daydreams begin to slip away. He gains self-confidence and a new appreciation for life. I know that this sounds like a million other movies out there, but Ben Stiller does a superb job conveying the simplicity of making a change in your life. I would say that this movie is geared to a middle age crowd, some one who has been in their job for a bit and is feeling the dullness of life.
The music is beautiful and perfectly placed with the story line. This is a soundtrack that you will want to buy after watching this film. It is music that is comforting and uplifting, not over bearing. The lyrics of each song are perfectly placed with the scene that it is accompanied with. The costumes are current with every day clothes and make up. The director does a great job conveying Walter Mitty's simple lifestyle. Right down to his apartment being styled in the way a man who lives a routine life would be. This is counter balanced with the apartment of his Mom, who is featured a couple of times. Her place is fun, full of color and memories that she shares with Walter and his sister.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty left me feeling thoughtful about my own life. It caused me to reflect on my own life and what a contrast it is to the life portrayed in the movie. I love adventure and I started to daydream about all the places I want to travel and explore. If only I had a mystery to solve while doing it. Can I please have a perfectly timed and lovely sounding soundtrack to my every day life? This movie is lovely and full of humor. A must watch. 8 stars!