The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a movie you will either love or get confused with, and there’s no middle ground. I seriously love this movie.

Run, Walter, Run.

Based on James Thurber’s short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has been previously subject of two adaptations prior to this latest film directed by Ben Stiller. The story focuses on Walter Mitty (played by Ben Stiller) who works as a photo archivist or a negative assets manager, as how he describes it, of Life magazine. The company is recently acquired and will go into online publication, a move that has threatened people’s jobs at the magazine. Walter’s job was suddenly on the rocks when he can’t find the 25^th negative frame of famed photographer Sean O’Connell (played by Sean Penn) for the final cover of Life. He ventures into a journey to find Sean, and in the process, discovers himself.

The audience was initially introduced into Walter’s life: someone who has a timid soul, with a great deal of confidence issues. Interestingly, Walter addresses this through his insane ability to escape his seemingly monotonous existence by zoning out and disappearing into fantasy daydreams. His reluctance to communicate with his co-worker Cheryl Melhoff (played by Kristen Wiig), the girl of his dreams, is the constant subject of his daydreams.

What the movie employs is a dose of genuine unpredictability. We are constantly shown movies about taking chances, living outside the proverbial box, and conquering the world. But this one has an authentic feel of relatability. Not that we zone out and daydream tremendously, but Walter represents you and me, in the humdrum of our existence, always thinking of the possibility to escape, but are constantly bogged down by things or situations. We are shown that no matter how insipid our lives are, we can still find the magical thread to take on a road completely unfamiliar.

Though there are parts which are a bit flamboyant and unnecessary, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty holds on to its unique charm. Some argue that there are illogical parts such as throwing the wallet for no reason, and when Sean tells him that the negative is just inside, he never even attempts to call someone to find the wallet. And when his Mom gives him the wallet, he did not even bother to look at the infamous picture. Then again, life is not always bound by logic, and sometimes we act on the guilt or pleasure of our instinct.

Others call it whimsy and airy, but not all movies should be taken too literally. Some you just enjoy for the endless possibilities and the attendant playfulness.