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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
2013 114 min United Kingdom, United States of America PG 12+
★6.9
Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Director: Ben Stiller
🎭 Based on
«The Secret Life of Walter Mitty»
byJames Thurber
Trailers
Description
A timid magazine photo manager who lives life vicariously through daydreams embarks on a true-life adventure when a negative goes missing.
Budget:
$90M
US Gross:
$58.24M
Worldwide:
$188.13M
Starring
Ben Stiller
Actor
Kristen Wiig
Actor
Jon Daly
Actor
Awards
Georges Awards 2015
— Best Foreign-Language Comedy
Saturn Awards 2014
— Best Actor
Saturn Awards 2014
— Best Fantasy Film
Key opinion
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is widely praised for its breathtaking cinematography, evocative soundtrack, and inspirational message about stepping out of one's comfort zone. While many viewers find it a heartwarming and visually stunning call to adventure, others criticize the thin character development and formulaic, sometimes predictable, narrative.
| Cinematography | The film features breathtaking landscapes and photogenic scenery that serve as a visual centerpiece. | |
| Score | The soundtrack, highlighted by David Bowie’s 'Space Oddity,' resonates deeply and provides a powerful emotional anchor for the film. | |
| Acting | Ben Stiller’s performance and direction successfully ground the film’s fantasy elements in a relatable, human experience. | |
| Screenplay | The story is often described as simple, predictable, or overly reliant on a fairy-tale structure, which some find charming and others find lacking in substance. | |
| Theme | While some viewers find the film’s inspirational message about pursuing adventure to be deeply motivating, others perceive the character development as shallow or purely cosmetic. | |
| Pacing | The pacing is viewed as problematic by some, with a slow, mundane beginning that contrasts too sharply with the later high-octane action sequences. |