The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Japanese title:
“Life!”

Directed by: Ben Stiller 

Written by: Steve Conrad

Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Patton Oswalt

Running Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes

Rating: PG

Pre-Conceived Notions: In the short while I’ve known of this movie’s existence, I’ve heard it compared to Forrest Gump numerous times. I can see from whence such a comparison comes. The whole, “this is a movie where fantastical things happen to an everyman.” Okay. I know Forrest Gump wasn’t exactly an everyman, but you see where I’m going with this. Right away, I see that Gump and Mitty are approaching the same idea from two different angles: In Forrest Gump, Forrest is retelling what he has already lived through (i.e. he’s looking back), whereas Walter Mitty fantasizes about being the heroic tough-as-nails daredevil, and ends up actually making that happen (i.e. moving forward). I’m hoping I’ll be so ensconced in the movie that the 125 minutes I’ll be spending in the theater will seem a lot less than that.

Why I Haven't Seen This Film: Because I have just learned of its existence a week ago.

2 hours, 5 minutes later…: For being the inaugural outing to the theater this year, I’m going to put it out there that all the other movies I see at the theater this year are going to have a pretty tough time competing with this one. From the first frame to the last, you’re drawn right in. I was right when I said it about Black Swan a couple years back, and I’m going to say it again for Walter Mitty: I smell an Oscar coming on! Superb acting by Ben, Kristen Wiig does nervous sexual tension way too well, and Adam Scott plays asshole executive very authentically. 

Ben Stiller and other directors have an interesting challenge these days in how they choose to portray the internet in movies. It’s undeniable that the internet is playing a huge part in modern society, so how do you translate that into film language? Ben Stiller does a brilliant job at this. It’s organic; it’s real; it doesn’t disrupt the narrative. And I really love when he’s in either Iceland or the Himalayas—I can’t remember which—when he gets a text from his worker buddy, and the rocks fall down the mountain and spell out the text he’s reading. Pure genius. And I’m not just saying that because I’m a typography nerd. Okay, maybe I am. Just a little bit.

Final Thoughts: 5.5 out of 6 slices of pizza. I’m going to have to take style points away because they spelled ‘Eyjafjallajökull’ wrong on the itinerary. I’m sorry. I know. It’s splitting hairs. But it’s a very simple Icelandic word! On second thought, they made up for it again at the end where they spelled it right, so I guess I can give that half-slice back to them. But, for the record, I’m doing it begrudgingly.