'THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY' (review) at FORCES OF GEEK
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| Review by Clay N Ferno |
Ben Stiller stars in and directs The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, in theaters this Christmas Day.
Mitty works at LIFE Magazine in the mundane but important position as the print publication’s archivist, made even more important as the cancellation of the magazine has become imminent.
In a series of daydreaming fugue states and real life adventures, Walter Mitty is a comedy that is also full of action as Walter’s job threatens to end, his crush is unrequited and his family struggles to make ends meet.
Kristen Wiig co-stars as love interest Cheryl Melhoff and the two sparkle on screen in this romantic delve into daydreams. Adam Scott plays the villainous Ted Hendricks, new boss at LIFE and Sean Penn plays LIFE’s on assignment globetrotting cover photographer.
Stiller’s performance is impressive in this reimagining of the classic 1939 short story written by James Thurber.
Walter is constantly being awakened by his friends and coworkers after drifting off into a fantasy world, magically filled with half-understandings and half-articulations of his inner dialogue. For example, when crushing on Cheryl (Wiig), he imagines having Benjamin Button disease, though has not seen the movie, and isn’t ‘sure how it works’. This leaves an old lady Wiig on the porch swing with a baby old-man Stiller nustled into her bosom as the two garner SNL skit belly laughs in the greased lens of the daydream.
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