The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Director Ben Stiller re-imagines humorist James Thurber's whimsically poignant 1939 New Yorker short story about a daydreamer who lives a life of quiet desperation (also filmed in 1947, starring Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo). Meek Walter Mitty (Stiller) is a backroom office staffer at Life magazine in New York, nursing a crush on co-worker Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wiig) but too shy to ask her out. Instead, Walter fantasizes about how he could win her heart in elaborate and exotic romantic reveries. Unfortunately, economic reality dictates that Life is going digital and—according to a callous executive (Adam Scott)—all non-vital employees will be fired. But there's one last print issue—and Walter has somehow misplaced a pivotal photograph for the final commemorative cover that was sent in by peripatetic photojournalist Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn). Determined to retrieve the missing shot, Walter pursues the elusive O'Connell, following him to Greenland, Iceland, and Afghanistan. A sincerely sweet (if also somewhat sappy) film full of quirky, wistful wonder, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is often exhilarating, particularly when timid Walter realizes his own potential while jumping out of a helicopter, swimming with sharks, and—best of all—skateboarding toward an erupting volcano. While the strong supporting cast includes Patton Oswalt, Shirley MacLaine, and Kathryn Hahn, this is really Stiller's show. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “The Look of Life” (5 min.), “The Music” (4 min.), and “Skateboarding Through Iceland” (3 min.), a “Reference Photograph” gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are deleted scenes (8 min.), extended scenes (5 min.), and alternate scenes (4 min.); the behind-the-scenes featurettes “That's a Shark” (6 min.), “The History” (4 min.), “Icelandic Adventure” (4 min.), “Nordic Casting” (4 min.), “Titles” (3 min.), “Ted-Walter Fight Pre-Viz Early Version” (4 min.), and “Ted-Walter Fight” (3 min.); the music video for “Stay Alive” by José González; and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven but often engaging film.] (S. Granger)