When I saw the trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty I thought it was a film I would like to see. But like many movies, it came and went quickly at the theatres, with only fair reviews, and I forgot about it. It appeared on Netflix recently and we decided to watch it one quiet evening.
I have to say, I loved it! It is very different; beautifully shot with some gorgeous scenery, and definitely has its quirky moments (but you may recall, I am drawn to quirky!). The critics were divided and somewhat harsh, in my opinion, towards a sweet and charming film that in this day and age of in-your-face vulgarity - even in prime time - is gentle and kind. Sure, it takes a while to understand just where the story is going (having not read the short story myself) but the payoff at the end was worth the initial confusion.
I love Ben Stiller (who also directed and produced) and Kristen Wiig is the perfect love interest. The movie is (finally) one you can watch with your kids in the room and like The Life of Pi, captivates you in its beauty and simplicity. Sean Penn is ideally presented as the elusive Life Magazine photographer and the supporting cast is great too. There is an on-line dating consultant's voice throughout the movie and I couldn't wait to see who it was - I knew the voice but couldn't place it (just like when I watch animated films and try to guess the actor!). He is revealed eventually!
The core of the film is the journey Walter takes to find a missing negative slated to be the final cover shot for the magazine. I thought about how I have preserved and stored my negatives since I was a kid using my Kodak instamatic with the flash cube. I still have the sleeves in a fire-proof safe but I'm sure they won't be much use for future generations. Still, I feel secure knowing I have something physical, along with my printed and scrapbooked photos, holding those precious memories. When Walter can't locate negative #25 that finality of a lost treasure is gut-wrenching and made me fear for the digital precariousness of today's method of photography.
If you didn't see the Secret Life of Walter Mitty when it was released in 2013, definitely give it a chance. I never trust the critics and choose to decide for myself if I like a movie. By the way, the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes was 71% so obviously everyone enjoys something different which may or may not coincide with reviews.
Thanks for this review, and for not giving away too much plot! I myself was also semi-intrigued by this movie, but I never got any feedback about it when it played here in San Diego, so I kind of forgot about it. Now that it's on Netflix, I will have to check it out. Cheers, Angie!
Posted by: Jose | October 09, 2014 at 12:59 PM