The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - Noodles Review

8 out of 10 Noodles

   This is the movie I wanted to love the most this year. From the first trailer I saw of it so long ago, I was greatly looking forward to it. I really didn't know what to expect from it; you really don't know what the story's gonna be about until you actually see the movie. That kind of ambiguity really intrigued me. What also intrigued me was that it looked as if Ben Stiller was veering away from strictly comedy into a more serious role in this movie. It almost reminded me of Jim Carrey when he went and did Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And while Carrey was much better in that movie than Stiller is in this one, I think I enjoyed Walter Mitty's adventure more. So, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is about a guy who kind of lives a boring lifestyle, which leads him to be ultimately the biggest daydreamer in the world. He literally freezes and imagines some spectacular things going on, usually including him as a hero. And we get to see everything he imagines and how people perceive him when he zones out, all from Walter's perspective. From the trailers, these dreamlike sequences seemed really cool and I thought they'd be an awesome highlight. However, in the film, sometimes they're a bit drawn out. They do result in some cool or funny moments though. One of these is even so outrageous that some people may not like it. But it was just so ridiculous that I was laughing so hard; you'll know what I'm talking about if you see it, because it involves conversation of another film that came out in 2008. Anyway, Walter Mitty works for Life magazine as a negative asset processor. He gets all the negative slips of film and process them so they can be photos in the magazine. And this time the one photo that they have to use for the cover is missing, so Walter decides to track down the photographer so he can get ahold of the picture. From there, his real adventure starts and this movie greatly picks up. He starts to go into his fantasies a lot less since his actual life is becoming so lively and epic.
   This is testament to the directing of the film, which is done by Ben Stiller himself. I was really amazed with so many shots in this movie. The cinematography sometimes has such a large and epic scale, and then other times it has a really interesting and visually artful take. Some scenes really even gave me goosebumps because I really felt so sucked in and moved by some of the shots and sequences in this film. His acting isn't bad either because he plays a convincing Walter Mitty. He's hardworking and determined but also a bit quirky and awkward. Kristen Wiig's character, Walter's love interest, was also played well; I think this is the best she's ever been since it's the first time she wasn't playing an outrageously absurd character, and instead a desirable and somehow inspiring woman. The strongest role in the movie, however, is the small amount of time that Sean Penn is onscreen. He plays the photographer that Walter is tracking down, and he's really in this character; he's so interesting and laid back, really encapsulating the presence of a photographer. Then, of course, there's the downsides. There are a few corny characters in this movie. Adam Scott, whom I know as the jerk older brother from Step-Brothers, plays an incredibly cartoony character in this movie. It's made in such a way that he's such an unrealistically mean asshole. I understand that he's supposed to be an antagonist but he really didn't fit. As with a couple other characters, like Walter's weird sister or Adam Scott's bearded friends who just act like henchmen. This sort of disrupted the tone of the film as well.

    A major gripe of this movie is its tonal inconsistency, since the tone was all over the place for the first third of this movie. It sort of got out of it. The daydreams, even, kind of come out of nowhere and most of the time don't have time to get you connected to them. Just as well, the movie has some very cliched moments, and the movie overall has a lot of very predictable elements. As a result, the writing of the film isn't very strong. Even some comedic moments are hindered by this. But even so, the film does have a large share of funny scenes, whether they're subtle or laugh-out-loud. What I came to see this movie for wasn't the comedy, though; I came for an inspiring feel-good tale. And from the moment Walter makes his decision to go to Greenland, that's what we get. The location shooting is absolutely breathtaking and the transitions in this movie from scene to scene are even cool in their own way. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is probably the most visually stunning film of 2013 and the epic cinematography gives it such an ambitious feel. The real thing to this movie is Walter finding himself, and actually living life, and I can't tell you enough how satisfying that actually is to see. This movie polarizes critics and viewers as some can love it, some can hate it, and some can go straight in the middle. While I wasn't totally invested in the first act of the film due to tonal inconsistencies and some bad characters, once Walter Mitty embarks on his adventure, it becomes one of the most uplifting and awe-filled movies I've seen in a while. While it subtly disappointed me, it still impressed me to earn 8 out of 10 Noodles. The ambition of Walter Mitty's life should be no secret.