Ben Stiller in ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’

A spontaneous trip around the world. That is a daydream many people have, but few act upon it. However, that’s exactly what Ben Stiller’s character, Walter Mitty, does in the remake of the adventure rom-com, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Stiller produced, directed and acted in the feature, which is loosely based on the original 1947 film, which was also roughly taken from the short story by James Thurber.

Mitty is an average New Yorker working at the offices of Life magazine. However occupations that are critical to print copies of the magazine, like Mitty’s manager of photography, threaten to become obsolete when the publication begins to make the transition to online. While that cloud of pressure settles over Mitty’s head, he also has to deal with a missing roll of film, moving his mother into a new apartment, and an office crush. Couple that with his habit of chronic daydreaming, and the awkwardness and mental stress the character ensues is almost palpable. The plot is a far cry from Thurber’s story that first appeared in The New Yorker many years ago, but this version has in its own sense become an optimistic symbol.

Ben Stiller is a veteran of Hollywood, and has a laundry list of starring roles to prove it. However the thing that makes his interpretation of Walter Mitty so revolutionary is that he willingly puts aside all superiority he has as an actor of merit and lets the story speak for itself. The motto of Life magazine in the film is “‘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.’” As Walter Mitty, Stiller embodies this as he slowly comes out of his shell, becomes more assertive and sure of himself and his desires throughout the flick. In most of the other movies Stiller has been in, such as Night At The Museum, he lets his pride and comedy drown out the sections of the storyline that make the character he’s playing relatable. However, Stiller gives Mitty an everyman aspect by purposely not letting him steal the show. He plays the face of the underdog well, letting his character be pushed around by supporting roles and even self-deprecating himself until the climactic point in the movie where he is forced to take a stand. The feature leaves the audience with a good moral of standing for what you love, even if you are standing alone, and in Mitty’s case, fired from a job you put your all into.

Unlike the earlier film, where Walter Mitty is seen as an unpolished, yet lovable fantasizer, Stiller’s take on the character is bullied by his co-workers in his modern day, cubical style office. Stiller accurately portrays the humble Mitty with a natural, nonchalant attitude that is unlike his roles in other pictures. Although his character has to overcome many challenges, the emotional range is meant to be limited to confuse the viewer as to whether they are watching Mitty’s reality or another perfectly composed daydream. Stiller’s trademark comedic touch is still evident, not always in his own character’s dialogue, but sprinkled throughout the lines of supporting characters and the physical reactions Mitty has to his surroundings. These surroundings change often due to the developing wanderlust quality that stirs in Mitty throughout the progression of the film. Stiller brings this lust for adventure to the forefront of his portrayal, making the film a sort of coming of (middle) age, and an inspiration for people of all ages to follow their dreams.