Movie Review: THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn



The imagination can do wondrous things. It can take us to adventurous places, brighten our days, and give us the confidence to battle any tough situation. For Walter Mitty (Stiller), daydreaming is the norm. Whether he is fighting his boss, saving a dog’s life, or trying to impress his dream girl Cheryl Melhoff (Wiig), his imagination takes him to numerous heights. Outside of that, he leads a very normal and traditional life. He assists his mother (MacLaine) with moving into a new apartment. His sister Odessa (Hahn) is a little kooky and relies on him for more than she ought to.



He takes great pride his work in the negative assets department for Life Magazine only to find out the company is ending it's magazine publications and switching to an online format. Walter’s boss Ted (Scott) is your average scumbag of a boss who really has no interest in his employees or the work. Hopefully you can get passed his douchey facial hair which is so fake looking but makes complete sense for the character. Famed photographer Sean O’Connell (Penn) sends frame 25 by telegraph to Walter to be used as the final cover image. When Walter opens the package of frames, frame 25 seems to be missing from the set. From the advice of Cheryl, Walter decides to use the other frames as clues to track down the whereabouts of the elusive and enigmatic photographer to find that final frame. His daydreaming finally becomes a reality as his real life adventure begins.



If you have read any of the background on the film, you may know that it has been stuck in “development hell” for years with various studios, directors, and actors attached to it. It is a remake of the 1947 film of the same name which was based on the short story by James Thurber. I am glad it finally got in the right hands as Ben Stiller has successfully brought Walter Mitty back to life again. The film crosses various genres as there is some comedy, adventure, drama, and even a little romance thrown in there. I think finding the right tone is the key to making this film work. It is not a screwball comedy like Zoolander or some of Stiller’s other work. I do not think I would consider the film a comedy, but there are some humorous moments which are a bit more genuine for both Stiller and Wiig. They leave their silly characters of the past behind and just play their scenes together in a truthful and honest way. There are so many sweet and tender moments between the two of them that I would not mind seeing a stripped down romantic comedy with the two of them as the leads. I wish the characters MacLaine and Hahn play as his mother and sister would have been a bit more fleshed out. There are both great actresses, so they seem a bit under used here. The mother character plays a vital part in the story but has only been given a couple of scenes to develop that.



For a story that relies heavily on the photography of the Sean Penn character, Stiller makes good use out of cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh. He beautifully captures the scenic landscapes of Greenland, Iceland, and the other places Walter ventures to on his journey to find Sean. You know the cinematography is stellar when various shots look like photos themselves. I found myself repeatedly soaking up these glorious images and missing some of the actual dialogue.

I have a seen quite a few movies recently with heavy topics and such deplorable characters. While I love a good character study in which those provide, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is that refreshing change of pace I needed. I, for one, am known to get caught daydreaming so I am right there with Walter Mitty. I am not about to go into what goes on in my head so don’t ask. It is not always as adventurous as Walter’s inner monologues and storylines. There is something inspirational about watching Walter’s daydreams shift into reality as he goes from living his everyday somewhat boring life and watching him take that leap and literally jump onto that helicopter. While that may not be quite practical for everyone in their normal day to day routine, I am sure you can find a way to start off small and go from there.

RATING: **** (4 out of 5 stars)

Movie Trailer: THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Shirley MacLaine

Do you ever find that certain songs bring movie trailers to a whole new level? Last year Imagine Dragons reached a new audience base after their hit "It's Time" was used in the trailer for The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It has happened again where Of Monsters and Men's "Dirty Paws" has that same effect on the trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I have been a little obsessed with the first trailer for the new Ben Stiller movie ever since I first saw it. I think part of my obsession can be attributed to this song. It just seems to fit so perfectly. Stiller plays the title character, an employee of Life magazine whose job is now in jeopardy as the magazine goes under. He seems to escape the everyday life as he disappears into various fantasies giving him a newfound energy to carry on to find the last missing image taken by an elusive photographer (Penn).

I have a hot and cold relationship toward Ben Stiller. I definitely acknowledge he is very talented, but there are times where his his comedy borders on obnoxiousness. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty looks like a really great vehicle for him both as an actor and director to show off his various strengths. Plus, I love the supporting cast. The film has been in development hell having been shopped around, re-written, and re-cast for years so I will be curious to see how the final product turns out.

Feel free to sound off below on your thoughts!

Release Date: December 25, 2013

Movie Review: THE GUILT TRIP

THE GUILT TRIP
Director: Anne Fletcher
Starring: Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand, Colin Hanks, Adam Scott, Kathy Najimy

I never would have expected the divine Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen to star in a movie together. Those two are light years apart on the acting spectrum and are in such different generations of Hollywood, yet somehow the concept of them starring as mother and son somehow works. Andy Brewster (Rogen) is visiting his mother Joyce (Streisand) while he heads out on the road trying to promote and sell his product to big businesses like K-Mart and Costco. He invented an all natural cleaning product made from coconut, grass, and soy called Scieoclean. Needless to say, the name of it is hard to pronounce and Andrew does not have the best sales pitch. Joyce is his widowed and retired mom who seems to be enjoying life to the fullest all the while being slightly overbearing by constantly calling Andy, leaving messages, and prodding into his life.

A late night conversation over ice cream seems to open up the doors to some family secrets. Joyce opens up to Andy about the long lost love that she left behind when she married his father. Andy just so happens to be named after this lost love. The light bulb goes off in Andy's head and he researches the whereabouts of this Andrew Margolis character. He tracks Andrew down in San Francisco and invites his mother along on his business trip under the ruse of them being able to spend some good quality mother son time together. In reality, he wants to take her to San Francisco to track down Andrew so she can have some closure. Joyce is thrilled at the idea of joining her son on a business trip driving all over the United States. She has an idea to play matchmaker herself by wanting to set Andy up with his high school sweetheart when they pass through her hometown. She packs far too many suitcases, a controversial book on CD, and has far too many opinions for Andy to deal with on the first day.

Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen are definitely playing against their usual types and images we see them as in real life or the characters they have played before. There is not one scene where we see Rogen smoking pot! Being the accomplished legend that she is, Streisand is far more believable in playing against type. I just could never fully believe the fact that Rogen is a chemical engineer trying to sell a cleaning product he invented. Streisand knew how to play the overbearing moments while making subtle choices when she is trying to win over Andy. I always felt like I was learning so much about her character even she was not blabbing away at Andy. There is an argument scene in the hotel room that she completely nails and I understood everything she was thinking about leading up to her speech. Unlike Rogen, there is no blank stare or meaningless reflection to Streisand.

Screenwriter Dan Fogelman apparently wrote the movie based on a road trip he took with his mom. According to Streisand and Rogen, his mother actually participated in a steak eating contest similar to the one in the movie. Knowing that it is partially based on a true story helps the movie feel a little more realistic and relatable. There have been plenty of buddy buddy or whole family road trip movies, but there have not been too many that are solely about a mother and son trek across the country that I can recall. There is a warm feeling to the movie as Andy and Joyce try to relate to each other and see how they can learn and grow from the other person. Streisand really makes the movie work. Her character is far more than just the nagging mother character you would expect her to be. The movie has plenty of heart and uplifting moments that I was not expecting by the way the trailer was cut together. It does make you wonder if you would be able to do a road trip with your mother no matter if she is overbearing or not.

RATING: *** 1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)