Director: Ben Stiller.
Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Shirley MacLaine, Sean Penn.
Certificate: PG.
Running Time: 114 minutes.
Synopsis: Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) is a downtrodden day dreamer whose frequent fantasies provide escapism from his mundane reality as a ‘Negative Asset Manager’ at Life Magazine. With the final issue of Life about to go to print, Walter must go on a life changing adventure to track down a missing photograph.
As an actor, Ben Stiller has delivered a consistent career as one of Hollywood’s top comedic actors. But as a director? Well, it’s fair to say that his directorial efforts are a mixed bag. Sure ZOOLANDER was an instant cult classic, but the likes of THE CABLE GUY and TROPIC THUNDER left much to be desired. THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY sees Stiller back in the director’s chair and it’s a triumphant return as he delivers his most mature and well-realised project to date.
At its core, this is a coming of age film with the inspirational moral that it’s never too late to start living the life you dreamed of. Walter Mitty is a loveable and endearing nice guy who through no fault of his own is finishing last in life and love. As a result, he has a tendency to zone out into wild flights of fancy that see him heroically risking life and limb, wrestling nasty bosses and getting the girl. Whilst mildly humorous, the impact of these high-octane day dreams quickly wears thin as we await the inevitable snap back into reality. Thankfully this dramatic device is only used in the first twenty minutes as a missing photograph, the threat of losing his job and the inspirational words of Walter’s love interest catapult him into an uncharacteristic adventure.
WALTER MITTY’s success lies in the simplicity of its story and universal emotive hook of injustice; Walter is a good man and as an audience we want good things to come his way. Stiller’s visual direction works in tandem with the story, providing the perfect accents to Walter’s journey. Initially, his rat-race city life is depicted with static head-on shots (that owe more than a little to Wes Anderson) which rigidly frame Walter amongst architectural quirks that dwarf the character. Once his adventure begins however, the screen explodes with sweeping vistas of astounding beauty where Walter dominates the frame.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY is an unbridled success; an inspirational and heartfelt journey aided by subtle comic scripting and supporting characters and relationships that, whilst absurdly idiosyncratic, are perfectly believable. There is little we haven’t seen from Stiller’s acting before, but he is better than ever as the fall guy who takes life on the chin through no fault of his own; most loveable when revealing why it’s taken so long to do the things he’s always wanted.
A perfectly poignant film over the festive season, this uplifting, beautiful journey quite possibly boasts Ben Stiller’s best work to date. Sure it’s sappy and sentimental, but hey, it’s Christmas.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY is released in UK cinemas on Thursday 26th December.
