What is the purpose of life?
Swift shot: Loosely based on the short story by James Thurber, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is about the world’s greatest adventurer, well, in his daydreams. Set against the re-engineering of “Life” magazine to an online outlet, Director Ben Stiller uses a mosaic of beauty and design to tell the story of one of the little people in “Life” who breaks out of his comfort zone to finally realize his true potential. Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig pair up well together on screen, and the film has a slight Gumpian feel to it.
Walter Mitty used to be a pretty cool kid, but then something happened when he was young that ended his cool streak, and he needed to become mature, and responsible, at a young age. Now he spends most of his life dreaming about the adventures of his hero, Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn), a photographer who travels from one extreme clime to the next just to capture the perfect image for Life magazine. Walter is smitten by one of his new co-workers, Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wiig) who really barely knows he exists. Of course, in Walter’s elaborate daydreams, she is the one smitten with him!
As Walter signs up for EHarmony, and makes the acquaintance of “Todd, from EHarmony,” his plans of approaching Cheryl seem destined for failure, because the beards (as I call them) led by Ted (Adam Scott) are there to fire most of the staff deemed unessential. Before they switch over to Life Online; however, there is a missing photo that Sean has labeled the quintessence of Life, and Walter must find this photo if he wants to keep his job. Sean is impossible to locate, and thus begins Walter’s purpose of life, to find Sean, and discover what photo “number 25” reveals.
Walter goes from daydreamer to globe-trekking adventurer, as what first starts out as a journey for a photo turns into a journey of self-discovery. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty may convert a few people who didn’t like Stiller into an instant fan, as he is hard not to root for on his quest for the quintessence of his life. With dramatic music, grand cinematography, brilliant angled shots, and a touching tribute to Life magazine, this film will leave you wondering what is your purpose of life?
[Swift aside: I have a rule about comparing re-makes to the originals if more than 20 years has passed. But, for the sake of clarity, there is another The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) starring Danny Kaye that you might also enjoy.]
