It Was OK

Rating: 4/10 (20 September 2014)

Ben Stiller was very good in the title role. That's the first thing I'd say. From my perspective, it was one of his better performances. As Walter, he plays the head of the negative assets department for LIFE Magazine, which is about to publish its last print edition before becoming an online only magazine. In that position, Walter is responsible for a series of negatives from a hotshot photographer (who would ultimately be played by Sean Penn in little more than a cameo), one of which is to be the final cover photo. But one of the negatives (#25) is missing, and the movie revolves around Walter's wide-ranging search for it.
Walter is a likable character. He's a guy who's largely bored and unsatisfied with life, who spends a lot of time daydreaming about what could be - some of his daydreams are realistic, others not so much. That sometimes gets a bit confusing, since it isn't always clear whether what we're watching is real or whether it's only happening in Walter's head. And as likable as Walter may be, I just didn't find myself caught up in the search for negative #25. It did give the movie the opportunity to go to some interesting places. You really don't see many movies that are set for significant periods of time in places like Iceland and Greenland - although whether those places were portrayed at all realistically is doubtful. Still ... Iceland and Greenland. But aside from the curiosity of the setting, the search for negative #25 rather bored me.
There was also the problem of Ted Hendricks. Played by Adam Scott, Ted was the mean and nasty boss in charge of the transition from print to online, apparently delighting in telling people they would lose their job - heartless, callous and unfeeling. Yes, it happens, and the powers that be aren't always kind and compassionate, but Ted was too much of a caricature for my liking.
This is certainly worth watching for Ben Stiller's performance, but for me at least the story left a lot to be desired. (4/10)