The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Starring: Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, Kristen Wig

Directed by: Ben Stiller

Rating: I Loved It

I have to start this off by saying that I usually dislike Ben Stiller as a general rule. Well, I don't know the guy personally, so, I guess I should say that I dislike the characters that Still usually plays. Then again, I haven't really seen a lot of his work, so, maybe it's just the idea of Stiller that annoys me. You know, the more I think about is the more I think that I have no reason to dislike him. Let's do some quick research... Of the movie of his I've seen: 

I enjoyed: 

• The Watch
• Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
• Night at the Museum
• Dodgeball (sort of)

I disliked: 

•  Tropic Thunder
• Zoolander
• There's Something About Mary
• Meet the Fockers

Plus, he once had a small role on FRIENDS, an appearance in which I also hated him, and I'm a huge fan of that show. It would take a lot for me to dislike an episode of it. Actually, it would take Ben Stiller to make me dislike an episode of it. With the info above, I have to go with: I don't care for Stiller as an actor. 

Now, on to this movie, I guess you could add one more to the "I enjoyed" it list. It was funny, somewhat moving, will make you take a look at your life, will make you think about some things differently, and charming. I liked Stiller's character, Walter Mitty, and I felt like I could connect with him on some level. The other characters were all likable, too, with the exception of Ted Hendricks (Adam Scott) and his cronies, a group you're not supposed to like...so, well done. 

There were some great sequences, both imagine by Walter and those happening in his reality. It was great to watch how those experiences changed the character along the way. Starting out, Walter has a hard time standing up for himself, but by the end of the film, he has a much better grip on who he is. 

The movie has plenty of funny moments and moments that I felt like could've been expanded on further. The good thing is that those moments didn't leave me disappointed. A lot of the time I get aggravated with a movie when I feel like a certain aspect should've been explored deeper, but this movie wrapped them up nicely and moved on to the next scene. I'm sure the book takes a longer look at some of these things. I guess this means Still did a pretty good job in the director's chair, too. 

Overall, I'd definitely recommend catching this at some point. It's not necessarily a must-see-in-theaters film. You could wait for Red Box or Netflix and be just fine. I'd definitely put it on your list, though. It's not one you want to forget about.