Saw 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'....

[FAST FRED]

.....and thought it was pretty darn good.

The Link

I've read the James Thurber short story, seen the 1947 movie starring Danny Kaye and have myself, back in the day, even performed that great Loving Spoonful song wherein John Sebastian sings about how he's "lost in a daydream."

After enjoying "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" and "Night at the Museum 1 & 2," I wasn't sure what to expect from Ben Stiller's adaptation, especially after reading where it was reviewed unfavorably.

So, I waited until it was available on NETFLIX.

I liked, found it very worthwhile and, in my personal evaluation, comparable to Wes Anderson's best stuff (IMHO) like "The Darjeeling Limited," "The Grand Budapest Hotel," "Bottle Rocket" and "Rushmore."

I didn't much care for his "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" or "Moonrise Kingdom," finding them too slow and just not my cup of tea, although I recognize how some viewers could dig them.

Ben Stiller's movie adaptation for the Walter Mitty character is one I think many viewers would enjoy, if they'd give it a chance.

Kind of like in that John Lennon song about Peace.

That's all I am saying.

Imaginative, well-cast, well-made, mysterious, heroic, romantic, far-ranging and adventurous, I feel this flick even compares well with the movie-making excellence of "The Life of Pi" (which won so many Oscars) and it would be, I believe, a more easily accessible and acceptable fantasy flick for many viewers, being humorous, action-filled, more rooted in reality and not so artsy.

Good music, nice scenery and some skateboarding.

If you enjoyed the films I've cited above and others like "Cast Away," "Groundhog Day" or even "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," you might give this one a try.

Kristen Wiig, Shirley McClain and an interesting, drunken, karaoke-singing, helicopter pilot are in it too.

No sex, nudity, cursing or actual violence (yet I still liked it), so it's suitable for any viewers of any age with imagination.

Give it a rental.

Your thoughts?

 

[Texanne]

I am perhaps the biggest Thurber fan on the planet. I have stayed away from this movie because one burned, twice shy.

And I still have the scars from the Danny Kaye debacle.

 

[FAST FRED]

This is Stiller's visualization and embodiment of what Walter Mitty would do within the context of this otherwise original screenplay and is not really based (I believe) on the scant plot that's available in Thurber's short story.

And the Danny Kaye debacle didn't really tickle my fancy either.

Kaye and Jerry Lewis and Sid Caesar and Lucille Ball and even Milton Berle were always a bit too broad and buffoonish in their comedy for what I perceived to be my then young level of sophistication..

I had to wait for Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Robert Klein, Brother Dave Gardner, Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore, Vaughn Meader, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx and Woody Allen to really make me smile and think.

Ben Stiller, even with his forays into slapstick, still remains cerebral and rooted enough to amuse and entertain me.

I remember digging his mom and dad's stuff too.

Anyway, Ben's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" was a much better movie than I expected.

I'd be interested to hear what a real Thurber fan thinks about it.

So please let us know if you do give Ben a chance.

 

[nashhorn]

Brother Dave Gardner, now there's a name from the past......definitely made me laugh when "they turned her head around".

 

[Third Coast]

I watched this movie based mostly on Fred's recommendation and I thought it was very well done.

I've never been a big Ben Stiller fan and I guess that's what kept me from seeing it sooner, but that hesitation was unfounded. He was actually quite good and I like almost everything with Kristen Wiig in it, although I'm not sure why.

 

[texas_ex2000]

Very good and extremely underrated movie imho. Entertaining story, very good performances, superb art direction/cinematography.