Thursday, December 26, 2013

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

I enjoyed The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Through the first third I was resisting it, but eventually got into the spirit of the movie and by the end was won over, with a tear or two in my eyes.

It is loosely based on the short story, which I vaguely remember as having an unresolved, sad ending. More portrait than plot. This version, directed by Ben Stiller is all plot. He stars in the title role playing Mitty as an understated, quiet, unfulfilled but not resentful guy. His lapses into over-the-top daydreams contain excellent special effects, but I didn't find them as funny as they were supposed to be.

Once the plot gets rolling it is a fun ride. The secondary characters are all great, and Stiller's stalwart, focused, and slightly deadpan performance carries it away.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

you are on target. all the casting was phenominal. i am going to look up the original short story now since i read your review. the first movie btw is no turner classic movies and can be rented but it is a completely different treatment.u