Credible Credits
Year: 2013
Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Patton Oswalt, and Sean Penn
Tagline: Stop dreaming; start living
Synopsis: When an important photo goes missing, Walter Mitty must stop living in daydreams and start adventuring in real life.
Synopsis: When an important photo goes missing, Walter Mitty must stop living in daydreams and start adventuring in real life.
Review
Did you know this is actually the second film adaptation of James Thurber's short story? For that matter, did you know it was based on a short story? I first read Thurber's tale in my 9th grade English class. I don't remember much beyond the premise: a timid man spends a lot of time daydreaming. Well, the premise is about all the films and the short story have in common. The first adaptation was in 1947 and is a comedy featuring the inestimably talented Danny Kaye. It's terrific. So I was very leery when I learned a few years ago that a new adaptation was in the works, especially when I saw that it would be Ben Stiller starring and directing. And then I saw the movie trailer.
If the Academy Awards had an Oscar for Best Movie Trailer it should go to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The various trailers are beautiful, touching, epic, witty, and unlike the cookie cutter trailers you see everywhere else. And they perfectly utilize their songs. One view of the trailer and I was sold on seeing the film. With each successive trailer my hopes climbed higher.
I can't say that the film is perfect. It has its flaws, its moments that are slightly jarring, its inconsistencies and illogicalities. But I can forgive all that. Because overall it is a beautiful, touching, and humorous film that puts a smile on my face just recollecting it. It isn't so much a film about daydreaming so much as it is a film about becoming.
Ben Stiller's Walter Mitty isn't henpecked by his wife (like the story) or his mother (like the first film). Instead, you might say he is henpecked by life. He is quiet and shy and has a frequent tendency to "zone out" as he daydreams about being more than he is. But we find that he wasn't always quite so reserved and afraid of life. Circumstances in a sense knocked the adventure out of him until he became overly sensible and reserved. And then throughout the film, more circumstances bear down on him: a merger at work, a lost photo, and an insensitive jerk who holds Walter's job -- and the jobs of his friends -- in his obnoxious hands. Necessity is the mother of invention, and apparently the mother of adventure as well. But the story isn't simply about finding the lost photo. It is about Walter finding Walter. And watching Walter learn to love life and truly live it is wonderful to behold.
While the film is certainly about Walter, he is surrounded by some great supporting characters. His mom is empathetic and encouraging. It is through her that we start to understand Walter better. Sean O'Connell is the adventuresome photographer Walter must track down. He also serves as an inspiration to Walter, helping him to see what matters. The most humorous character is Todd, a customer service representative from eHarmony who becomes phone buddies with Walter. And then there is Cheryl, the girl of Walter's dreams and daydreams. What makes their relationship work is that it is shown early on that while she may think Walter is a little odd ("Where do you go?" she asks after he has zoned out), she starts to like him even then. Her real life encouragement is genuine, so when Walter conjures her as his inspiration to help him on his journey, it works.
The film itself is also beautiful. Ben Stiller did a terrific job directing. The scenery, as Walter is skateboarding through Iceland or trekking through the Himalayas, is truly stunning. But it is also fun to see the ways in which Stiller used the scenery. For example, films usually start off with titles about who the production company is and what the name of the movie is. In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, those titles appear as though written on the street as seen from a bird's eye view, or on train station signs. They are absorbed into the world. Words from the motto of Life magazine are shown on the walls of the airport and then within the plane's cabin as Walter first embarks on his adventure. My favorite was when Walter receives a text message which the audience gets to read etched onto the side of a mountain.
My favorite part of the film may actually be the soundtrack. Partly because the songs used in the film (e.g., "Dirty Paws" by Of Monsters and Men, "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire, and "Step Out" by Jose Gonzalez) are great songs. But mostly because they are absolutely perfect for the tone of the film. I was so excited to discover the two songs that helped the trailers work so well were actually part of the soundtrack ("Dirty Paws" and "Step Out"). Movie trailers often use completely unrelated music.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty won't appeal to everyone. It has kind of an indie feel to it. And it does have its flaws. But as long as this post is, I still feel like I could go on and on about it. It it is a fantastic film that I look forward to seeing and reliving again and again.
*** Spoiler Section ***
The film's "MacGuffin" (a film term for the plot device a protagonist/antagonist is after) is a lost picture that is meant to be on the cover of the very last issue of Life magazine. Walter spends the bulk of the story trying to track it down. It is the catalyst to get him to start living. The fact that Walter has the picture in his wallet all along is a nice touch. As is the fact that his loving mother -- who he has clearly spent a lifetime sacrificing for -- is the one to rescue it after a discouraged Walter throws his wallet in the garbage.
The film spends a lot of time building up the wonder of the missing picture. It is described by Sean O'Connell as the "quintessence of life." They did so much to build it up that by the end I was thinking there was no way they could truly live up to the expectations they'd set. I almost hoped they wouldn't show the picture. I thought they should just show people's reactions to it and let the audience imagine what they would. But when they did reveal the picture, on the cover of the last issue, it truly did work. It's not a picture of an exploding volcano, a storm-tossed ship, or an elusive snow leopard. It is the "quintessence of Life" magazine: a candid shot of Walter, outside the Time & Life building, eating lunch, and scrutinizing a sheet of negatives. For all the grand adventures both Sean O'Connell and Walter Mitty have, there is a beauty in the simplicity of life: dedication to a job well done.
If the Academy Awards had an Oscar for Best Movie Trailer it should go to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The various trailers are beautiful, touching, epic, witty, and unlike the cookie cutter trailers you see everywhere else. And they perfectly utilize their songs. One view of the trailer and I was sold on seeing the film. With each successive trailer my hopes climbed higher.
I can't say that the film is perfect. It has its flaws, its moments that are slightly jarring, its inconsistencies and illogicalities. But I can forgive all that. Because overall it is a beautiful, touching, and humorous film that puts a smile on my face just recollecting it. It isn't so much a film about daydreaming so much as it is a film about becoming.
Ben Stiller's Walter Mitty isn't henpecked by his wife (like the story) or his mother (like the first film). Instead, you might say he is henpecked by life. He is quiet and shy and has a frequent tendency to "zone out" as he daydreams about being more than he is. But we find that he wasn't always quite so reserved and afraid of life. Circumstances in a sense knocked the adventure out of him until he became overly sensible and reserved. And then throughout the film, more circumstances bear down on him: a merger at work, a lost photo, and an insensitive jerk who holds Walter's job -- and the jobs of his friends -- in his obnoxious hands. Necessity is the mother of invention, and apparently the mother of adventure as well. But the story isn't simply about finding the lost photo. It is about Walter finding Walter. And watching Walter learn to love life and truly live it is wonderful to behold.
While the film is certainly about Walter, he is surrounded by some great supporting characters. His mom is empathetic and encouraging. It is through her that we start to understand Walter better. Sean O'Connell is the adventuresome photographer Walter must track down. He also serves as an inspiration to Walter, helping him to see what matters. The most humorous character is Todd, a customer service representative from eHarmony who becomes phone buddies with Walter. And then there is Cheryl, the girl of Walter's dreams and daydreams. What makes their relationship work is that it is shown early on that while she may think Walter is a little odd ("Where do you go?" she asks after he has zoned out), she starts to like him even then. Her real life encouragement is genuine, so when Walter conjures her as his inspiration to help him on his journey, it works.
The film itself is also beautiful. Ben Stiller did a terrific job directing. The scenery, as Walter is skateboarding through Iceland or trekking through the Himalayas, is truly stunning. But it is also fun to see the ways in which Stiller used the scenery. For example, films usually start off with titles about who the production company is and what the name of the movie is. In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, those titles appear as though written on the street as seen from a bird's eye view, or on train station signs. They are absorbed into the world. Words from the motto of Life magazine are shown on the walls of the airport and then within the plane's cabin as Walter first embarks on his adventure. My favorite was when Walter receives a text message which the audience gets to read etched onto the side of a mountain.
My favorite part of the film may actually be the soundtrack. Partly because the songs used in the film (e.g., "Dirty Paws" by Of Monsters and Men, "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire, and "Step Out" by Jose Gonzalez) are great songs. But mostly because they are absolutely perfect for the tone of the film. I was so excited to discover the two songs that helped the trailers work so well were actually part of the soundtrack ("Dirty Paws" and "Step Out"). Movie trailers often use completely unrelated music.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty won't appeal to everyone. It has kind of an indie feel to it. And it does have its flaws. But as long as this post is, I still feel like I could go on and on about it. It it is a fantastic film that I look forward to seeing and reliving again and again.
*** Spoiler Section ***
The film's "MacGuffin" (a film term for the plot device a protagonist/antagonist is after) is a lost picture that is meant to be on the cover of the very last issue of Life magazine. Walter spends the bulk of the story trying to track it down. It is the catalyst to get him to start living. The fact that Walter has the picture in his wallet all along is a nice touch. As is the fact that his loving mother -- who he has clearly spent a lifetime sacrificing for -- is the one to rescue it after a discouraged Walter throws his wallet in the garbage.
The film spends a lot of time building up the wonder of the missing picture. It is described by Sean O'Connell as the "quintessence of life." They did so much to build it up that by the end I was thinking there was no way they could truly live up to the expectations they'd set. I almost hoped they wouldn't show the picture. I thought they should just show people's reactions to it and let the audience imagine what they would. But when they did reveal the picture, on the cover of the last issue, it truly did work. It's not a picture of an exploding volcano, a storm-tossed ship, or an elusive snow leopard. It is the "quintessence of Life" magazine: a candid shot of Walter, outside the Time & Life building, eating lunch, and scrutinizing a sheet of negatives. For all the grand adventures both Sean O'Connell and Walter Mitty have, there is a beauty in the simplicity of life: dedication to a job well done.
Quotable Quotes
- "That's a shark!" -- Ship captain
- "Have you done anything noteworthy or mentionable?" -- Todd
- "Beautiful things don't ask for attention." -- Sean O'Connell
ISFS
You've convinced me to at least try and watch this film. Most of Ben Stiller's stuff is okay to mediocre for me. Your review here is eloquent and warm. Well done!
ReplyDelete