THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY FILM REVIEW & OSCAR SNUB DEBATE 1-22-2014

Walter Mitty: To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind
walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.
Sean O'Connell: Beautiful things don't ask for attention.

Ben Stiller directs and stars in THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY,
James Thurber's classic story of a day-dreamer who escapes his anonymous
life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and
action. When his job along with that of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) are
threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global
journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he
could have ever imagined. - Written by 20th Century Fox

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY FILM
REVIEW & OSCAR SNUB DEBATE – 1-22-2014
1-22-2014 - Written By: David L. $Money Train$ Watts – Journalist/Film Reviewer
FuTurXTV & HHBMedia.com - David Velo Stewart – Editor – HHBMedia.com - $$$$$

I want to say upfront that I was actually daydreaming about being watching the sun set
on Waikiki Beach in Hawaii before I started writing about one of the best day dreaming
and escapist film fantasy flicks ever in Ben Stiller’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
And one of the best and one of my favorite films that feature a lead character that
spends a lot of his time on screen drifting away from the real world to his private and
special fantasy world of endless possibilities is the 1963 classic Billy Liar. I love Billy
Liar because I am that same imaginative and restless creative type that at any given
moment can be transported to an alternate universe to do impossible thing I imagine.

 David L. $Money Train$ Watts • FuTurXTV • HHBMedia.com • info@hhbmedia.com • www.hhbmedia.com • David Velo Stewart

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So when I first heard that Stiller was doing his own or modern version of Danny Kaye’s
1947 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty I could not wait to see it. Now to be fair Danny’s
Walter Mitty is more of an old fashioned daydreaming bumbler that wishes to be a hero
and then suddenly gets a chance to be a globe trekking real hero. But Stiller added to
that premise and basically made in my opinion a more natural or highly believable new
character of Walter as a negative assets manager for Life magazine. One can easily
surmise how someone’s conscious and subconscious mind could be overwhelmed;
when that same person has spent a lot of professional life looking at the most fantastic
photos from the world’s most interesting and dangerous places. When we first see
Walter in the film we are seeing a Walter who can no longer control his mental urges or
obsessions with escaping reality. A police siren in the distance, a woman crossing the
street with groceries or even a minor traffic accident or actually practically anything
remotely routine or ordinary is an excuse for Walter to trip out and imagine himself as a
hero or going on a high stakes adventure. Walter is so engrossed in his day dreams that
he will miss a train he has been waiting to go to work or at work he will miss walking into
an open elevator door to go to his floor. And Walter’s spasmodic ventures into his
imaginary worlds is so blatant that he cannot even get a cup of coffee without his co-
workers giggling watching him stand motionless with a blank stare on his face. Walter
even turns one of his new bosses and tormentors Ted Hendricks, a bearded Adam
Scott from Parks & Rec, into a major street fight fantasy scene as they fight with super
heroic powers and amazing stunts over the possession of a Stretch Armstrong doll.

 David L. $Money Train$ Watts • FuTurXTV • HHBMedia.com • info@hhbmedia.com • www.hhbmedia.com • David Velo Stewart

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The one saving grace or tangible element of sanity that forces Walter to occasionally
snap out of his comical and imaginative delusions is his secret love for another co-
worker, Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wiig). The attempts of Walter being a possible loser is
expressed smartly in the fact that when Walter tries to complete his eHarmony dating
profile that is bare of life experiences. A wonderful side note and bonus in Walter Mitty
is the “Her” like relationship that develops between Walter and Todd his eHarmony
coach, who is played with a lot of depth and introspective nerdy-dating humor by Patton
Oswalt. I even like the fact the film takes its time to develop the love story between
Walter and Kristen and Stiller wisely lets Kristen play a low key and non-comedic role
than the wacky and exciting SNL and Bridesmaids version of Kristen that folks love.

Some other small, but standout performances in Walter Mitty was Sean Penn playing
the “larger-than-life” Life photographer Sean O’ Connell. When Walter finally does meet
up with Sean in the Himalayas patiently hiding in “camo gear” to get a shot of a very
rare snow leopard. By the time Walter meets his idol Sean we no longer are looking at
the daydreaming wannabe Walter at the film’s start. And symbolically Walter does not
feel the need to drift off into anymore imaginary worlds because he has finally become
the person he has always wanted to be since he was a teenager when his dad died.

 David L. $Money Train$ Watts • FuTurXTV • HHBMedia.com • info@hhbmedia.com • www.hhbmedia.com • David Velo Stewart

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And I have to give a shot out to Ólafur Darri Ólafsson who gave an extremely amusing
performance as a drunk and wasted Greenland helicopter pilot. This was a delight to
watch as Walter vacillated a lot about risking his life to forever change his life. Walter
jumping on that small and shaky helicopter was “the making of a brave man”. And I
have to mention the only real person of color who had a significant speaking role was
Adrian Martinez who played Hernando who was sort of Walter’s pseudo-best friend and
co-worker. Adrian has been on my cinema radar since he had a standout performance
in Will Ferrell’s Casa de mi Padre (2012). And Adrian is also in American Hustle as
well as Walter Mitty, so this by far has to be a breakout year for this solid new actor.

I really do not want to recite all the best scenes of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
because that would actually spoil or take away a lot of the joy of discovering those
scenes yourself when you see the film the first time. What I can say is that this one of
Ben Stiller’s best films he has ever acted in or directed. I think because he is a
comedian first and then became a more serious actor/director that a lot of film critics
overlooked this film. I mean it took a lot of skill and patience to make Walter evolve from
a daydreaming gadfly to an actual real adventurer who conquered his fears and doubts
by striking out the globe to find his hero and elusive photographer This was a highly
challenging film to make from the dual real and fantasy scenes, the detailed production
design, global locations, multiple special effects and the delicate balance that had to be
maintained in the film between Walter’s real and imagined emotions. I seriously think if
the Oscar voters last year could give Ang Lee Best Director for another equally escapist
fantasy film like The Life of Pi, then I think those same voters should have nominated
Ben Stiller for an Oscar this year as well. And Walter Mitty could have easily got
nominated for Oscars this year for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best
Production, Best Original Screenplay and Best Visual Effects. If I Oscar voters would be
forced to cut a nominated director to make room for Stiller then I would say Nebraska’s
Alexander Payne would get the ax because America Hustle, Gravity and 12 Years a
Slave are going to dominate the 2014 Oscars. I don’t think anyone in Nebraska has
even seen or cares about Nebraska. Despite the fact that I personally think Ben Stiller
got snubbed this year at the Oscars, I am beyond certain that he has set himself up for
getting an Oscar nomination as best actor and best director in the upcoming years if he
keeps making great films like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The film’s quirky motto
of “Loves photos of the world…never travels" is what makes The Secret Life of Walter
Mitty worth my Money Train FuTurXTV & HHBMedia.com film review rating of $$$$$.

 David L. $Money Train$ Watts • FuTurXTV • HHBMedia.com • info@hhbmedia.com • www.hhbmedia.com • David Velo Stewart

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David L. $Money Train$ Watts • FuTurXTV • HHBMedia.com • info@hhbmedia.com • www.hhbmedia.com • David Velo Stewart

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