In March of 1939, The New Yorker published James Thurber’s short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, in which Thurber describes a middling protagonist’s ordinary day in Waterbury, Conn. Yet, while going through the mundane motions, Walter preoccupies his mind with five heroic fantasies that quench his thirst for a spectacular existence.
Though Mitty never physically strays from his usual grocery store, parlor or car, he mentally transports himself to thrilling locations like an operating room, Naval hydroplane and heated courtroom. Walter’s imagined “secret life” allows him to escape his dull reality.
In addition to multiple reproductions in literary anthologies and a 1947 feature film, the daydreaming protagonist maintains relevance with Ben Stiller’s 2013 adaptation.
Stiller’s modern interpretation immensely deviates from Thurber’s original masterpiece, however. Aside from Walter’s self-aggrandizing daydreams that function as his escape, little plot remains unchanged.
Instead, the recent Red Hour Films production portrays a single, middle-aged Walter Mitty working as a negative assets manager in the photo department of New York-based Life magazine. Despite living in a bustling city and working intimately with a renowned environmental photographer, Walter feels commonplace. He operates behind the scenes of Life, is most intimate with his mother and cannot name an experience “noteworthy or mentionable.”
Only in his self-centered fantasies is Mitty a man of greatness. Walter envisions himself rescuing a small dog from an exploding building, “testing the limits of the human spirit” as an arctic mountain climber, skateboarding throughout the city, fighting his ridiculing boss and more. Mitty’s subconscious desire to live extraordinarily manifests itself in his lifelong habit of “zoning out” but has little affect on his daily routine.
It’s not until he loses Life’s final cover by Sean O’Connell (played by Sean Penn) that Mitty decides to act. With the help of his coworker and love interest Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wig), Walter finally breaks free of his comfort zone. Walter determines to track down O’Connell using the photographer’s reel of negative images as helpful clues.
Throughout the manhunt, Mitty discovers that within him lied dormant the courage he so often imagined. Walter jumps out of a moving helicopter, punches a shark, longboards down a mountainous Greenland road, survives a volcanic eruption and solves the mystery. Upon finding O’Connell in the Himalayan mountains, Walter realizes that the “quintessence of life” was not lost, but with him all along.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty appeals to all audiences because of its multi-genre qualifications as a romance, comedy, action and feel-good film wrapped into one. Unfortunately, although the film’s walkaway resonates with viewers, much of the movie is too outlandish to take seriously. The Benjamin Button fantasy and superhero skate battle are particularly outrageous. Despite the comedic intention behind them, both scenes are simply overdone.
The film’s dialogue is nothing special, but two standout lines ingrain themselves in a viewer’s memory. The motto of Life magazine is repeated aloud, written on countless walls and stamped onto Mitty’s wallet. It reads: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” This quotation accurately summarizes the film’s inspirational intent, and is accordingly hammered home.
Secondly, at the climax of the film, Sean explains that “beautiful things don’t ask for attention.” The man of immeasurable, worldly experience enlightens Walter (and audiences), teaching that things worthy of appreciation take time and effort to find.
Veteran actor Ben Stiller impeccably portrays personal growth and positive transformation. From a hunched, timid, buttoned-up laughingstock to a rugged and adventurous independent, viewers watch Mitty find himself by taking risks. By the end of the film there is a physical metamorphosis to match his recent growth.
The cinematic landscapes are undoubtedly the film’s strong point. Various shots of Greenland, Iceland, New York and the Himalayas are enough to increase anyone’s appetite for travel. From icy mountains to rough waters and sloping green hills, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty compels viewers to explore their human potential by travelling the world.
Despite recieving average to low reviews, Ben Stiller’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is worth watching and is sure to provide multiple angles of inspiration.
