Gotta say, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is kind of a confusing picture, thematically speaking anyway. Sure most, if not all of the movie, is actually quite simple minded, and really rather pleasant overall in its apparent zest for life and praising of the general human spirit. Our protagonist makes a pretty big and satisfying change from the beginning of the movie to the end of it, there are some good jokes, some nice cinematography, so interesting casting choices, and in the end, it’s all kind of pleasant. So what the hell is confusing about?

Well first, you should know the basic story set up first. You see, this Walter Mitty guy (Ben Stiller, who also directed), he works in the bowels of LIFE magazine, and he is meek and put upon and spends an inordinate amount of time daydreaming about being someone different and doing exciting things, because you know his life sucks so much. He’s not even good at using eHarmony, which is an actual plot point of this story. But when he is faced with a mystery that requires solving, he breaks out of his shell to actually go solve it, following a handful of clues around the world.

And of course this is all grand and good and all that. Walter Mitty finally goes out and LIVES LIFE and good for him, right? He gets to see Iceland and Greenland and an active volcano and a shark and now he has all of these sweet stories to tell at parties and shit, so good for him, that’s what this movie is about, right?Continue Reading …