Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) sported a mohawk as a young boy,
skateboarded with his friends, and had an idealistic, punk rock image of how he
would live his life. But along the way, reality trapped him. The
monotony of daily life took over his
identity, and Walter found himself working as a Negative Asset Manager -- or a photo archivist --
for Life magazine, living an adventurous life vicariously through the images of photographer Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn).
Walter “zones out” constantly and day dreams that he’s another man,
one less suppressed by the world and more in control of his own destiny.
Sometimes his dreams mold perfectly into reality, culminating in a
beautiful, surreal amalgam of wish fulfillment. Other times they are less enchanting,
becoming manic special-effects-ridden spectacles that don’t fit well
with the tone of the film – in fact, they sometimes detract from it.
While the fantasies work to add to the depth of the themes and characters,
toning them down wouldn’t hurt at all.
Much like its protagonist, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
suffers from an identity crisis, unsure if it wants to be a wacky family comedy or a quieter, sweeter film about a man
who is inspired to live a fulfilling life. It’s the latter that works
far more, and it’s the former I could do without completely. I found
myself wishing Walter’s fantasies were more grounded, giving me more
insight into what goes on in his head.
The strange thing is that, while I know this movie is
flawed (and makes a much better trailer than it does a two hour film), it
still moved me on a level that few other works have accomplished. If you
can get past its zany shortcomings, this really is one of the better
movies of the year — when the tone and images on screen fall into sync,
the result is truly spectacular.