The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) lives rent-free in my mind, and I have to talk about it.
In the deep, deep weirdness which was lockdown 2021 — where I had done more Zoom Quizzes than I care to admit, and I had watched every episode of Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: The Next Generation — I was in desperate need of the great outdoors.
I don’t know how I stumbled upon this film, but all I knew was that it had the ‘Tropic Thunder’ guy in it, and had a reasonably good score (7.3 out of 10). Directed by and starring Ben Stiller, I was not prepared for a visually stunning, and emotionally uplifting masterpiece that took me on a journey, stealing me away from the crushing boredom of lockdown.
As of today, I have probably seen it over ten times, and I am always overjoyed when it’s one of the in-flight films when I fly. Which is odd for me; I rarely re-watch films.
But what makes this film a 10 out of 10 film for me? Why is it so special?
Photo credit: TM & © 2012 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
As films go, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is relatively simple. Based on James Thurber’s 1939 short story, the film follows a photo editor at Life magazine who, when faced with the loss of his job, accidentally embarks on an adventure that takes him across the globe, in search of a missing photograph.
The film shows Walter living a mundane, simple, but most importantly safe, life. He frequently daydreams that he has some deeper meaning to his life, that he is doing greater things with his time.
This resonates with me. I’m not a fireman, an astronaut, or a Nobel Peace Prize winner (I know, shocker), I have a ‘safe’ job. There’s no greater purpose to Software Architecture, you’re not saving lives.
As he sets out on his adventure you’re left wondering: “Is this another daydream?”
In some ways the adventure is him ‘failing upwards’, bouncing from one issue to the next, and you could dismiss it as silly. I am of the opinion that the plot is good and compelling, but it’s not the selling point of the film.
What makes this film a masterpiece is that it plants you firmly in Walters shoes. You experience the journey though his eyes.
You feel the water as he jumps from the helicopter into the Atlantic Ocean, trying to catch a boat.
The wind blows through your hair as Walter long-boards away from a volcanic eruption, down the hills of Iceland.
Photo credit: TM & © 2012 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
You shiver from the cold of the Afghan Himalayas as Walter stares down the elusive Snow Leopard.
The ending is heartfelt, and fills me with joy every time I see it. Ben Stiller captures Walters unshackling from the mundane perfectly. The film is outstandingly beautiful.
Over the course of the film Walter discovers courage, purpose, and the beauty of stepping out of his comfort zone. But in watching this film, you as the viewer feel like you’ve been on an adventure of your own; which, when you’re feeling stagnant (like when you’re on a plane), is what you really need.
Alright, fine. I’ll watch it again.
