La Vie rêvée de Walter Mitty

"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a short story written by James Thurber way back in 1939. It was about a henpecked man who escapes into a fantasy world of danger and heroics to compensate for the depressingly dull real life he leads.

Screen writer Steve Conrad adapts the title and the name and over-active imagination of the main character and tells his own original story. Ben Stiller directs and stars in this obvious "labour of love" of a movie project.

Walter Mitty is a timid guy who tends to "space out" and enter into a world of his own where he is able to do wondrously heroic exploits. He would rather join an online dating service than to meet this girl Cheryl at work that he fancies.

One day, he misplaced the precious negative of the photograph meant to be the cover of the last issue of Life Magazine. As his job is on the line, Walter needs to look for Sean, the globe-trotter photographer who took that missing photo. Upon deducing that Sean was in Greenland, Mitty suddenly decides to throw all caution to the wind and just go on a difficult quest, which will be the biggest adventure of his lifetime.

Visually, this film is perfect with its breathtaking cinematography and unobtrusive special effects. Many scenes, particularly those showing Walter skateboarding in Iceland, or climbing the Himalayas, were very memorably shot with unique camera range and angles.

The script does fall into melodrama, but I did not mind this. Ben Stiller was very good as Walter, capturing his shyness and cluelessness so sensitively. I liked Walter's moments with his mother, played by Shirley McLaine in a subdued likable manner. I also liked Walter's awkward romance with Cheryl played by Kristen Wiig, in only the second role I have seen her since "Bridesmaids." She was also very relaxed and natural here in a straight role. Too bad we do not see the full strength of her comic skills.

I cannot deny that I was disappointed with how the story went. Once we reach the second half of the film when Walter actually stops having fantasies and does things for real already. I know of course that this was the point of the film, that dreams were there to be fulfilled. I just felt it somehow lost the spirit of the source short story.

Overall though, this was an entertaining feel-good film that will bring us to places we rarely see on screen. The spectacular photography of the exotic settings demand that you see this film on the big screen.

Despite lofty comparisons with Forrest Gump, Walter Mitty admittedly does not exactly reach those heights. However, upon watching this film, you will wonder how something so beautiful-looking could have been totally shut-out from Oscar or any other award consideration.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is inspiring and creative, and I appreciate creativity and being inspired. The exotic settings and the unique soundtrack enhance the viewing experience. I do feel like it should have been funnier, though. I don't know if it will hold up during subsequent viewings, but this movie is an entertaining ride the first time through.

Ben Stiller is Walter Mitty, a man who looks as if he does nothing, is nothing and is perceived as nothing. Except for during his little fantasies in which he is a hero, but during these weirds moments in which he dozes off, others write him off.

Until he finds a goal in life, which puts in him adventurous situations by accident, which transform him in the man he always was. A unique individual, an adventurer, a dreamer who fulfills his dreams and finds the appreciation he needs and deserves. But the appreciation doesn't come from other, but from himself.

What the movie does brilliantly, is make the watcher feel connected to Walter Mitty and feels with him. You'll find him goofy, but likable. Your respect for him will grow with every minute, and at the end of the movie, you'll love him. Maybe you even recognize your own milestone moments, mountains you have climbed, seas you have sailed, so we all are bigger than we are perceived, as long as you have that respect and confidence from within.

Props to Ben Stiller. Jim Carrey had his Truman Show, Will Ferrel had his Stranger Than Fiction. Ben Stiller's Walter Mitty should be in that group.

I saw this movie on a special sneak preview event. I admit being utterly mesmerized by some of the trailers. I did really enjoy the film. It has a nice message and is definitely a feel good movie. There is nothing wrong with that. For me, this is the most beautifully looking film I've seen this year. The cinematography and camera shots were fantastic - right up there with Life of Pi and Gravity. It's definitely worth seeing on the big screen. I personally enjoyed Ben Stiller in a more serious role. The film has comedic elements but everything is a bit more subtle and reflective of a man trying to find his inner courage and voice.

Actually just one of them would make me want to give this a 10/10 and it is very close in my eyes. The scene I'm talking about involves a helicopter and a song that really got under my skin. If you don't feel a thing during that scene ... well I don't know what to say. The whole thing is build upon feelings and dreams. Obviously breaking out of them and making some of it reality (not the ones that can not be achieved obviously, like flying or other stuff) is the ultimate goal.

Ben Stiller might be known for one thing, but we can see with this movie he has a wider range. And the visual/virtual effects he uses help support his vision. A vision of a novel that I haven't read, but sounds more than intriguing even after you've watched the movie. Which cannot be said about most of novels/movies that have been made this way. This is not your typical movie, even though it might hit some familiar notes and go ways that are to be expected. Take the journey and fly with it ...