Film: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Director: Ben Stiller
Genre: Comedy
Source: USA (2013)
Rating: PG-13
Location/Format: Glynn Place Stadium Cinema
Grade: B-

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is neither as bad as its detractors will say it is nor as good as its fans will claim it to be. And that's really its main problem. It doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a bold adventure about seizing life (or at least going on vacation)? Is it an anthem to the power of dedication to even seemingly unimportant jobs? Is it a giant advertisement for Papa John's, Cinnabon, and eHarmony? Is it a goofy comedy or a sentimental heartstring puller? It's a little bit of all of those things, so it doesn't fully succeed at any of them (except maybe the advertisement. I mean, couldn't get much more blatant.)

The movie does have some great things going for it: there is a lot of bright and beautiful cinematography here, particularly of Greenland, Iceland, and Afghanistan (though I know it was shot in at least one of those places, I'm not positive that it was really in all three). There are some great funny moments that work well in the story also. Mitty's experiences in Greenland particularly are really engaging, with a great supporting role by a drunken giant Viking type that was unexpectedly funny. And that soundtrack! If you're a particular kind of 30-something white guy who likes slightly indy but also majorly mainstream music, then I have to believe you'll get sucked in to the musical selections. At least I did.

On the other hand, some of the choices here are just terrible. There are several slapstick sequences--some fantasy sequences, some not, some awful character work by the usually dependable Kathryn Hahn--that just are completely tonally mismatched with the more somber moments. Stiller also wants to celebrate himself a bit much more than is perhaps necessary, so at times it feels more than a little self-aggrandizing. And really, so much of the film is flat predictable that it removes some of the narrative punch. 

Anyway, at the end it was just too much of a mixed bag to really have a lot of impact, but it was still a nice little holiday experience reaffirming the hopefully obvious message that life is short so it's worth living. That's not a bad thing to remember at the end of the year.

And also, work hard I guess?