The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

I'm not sure where exactly it happens - because, in the beginning, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is sort of boring and preposterous - but, somewhere along the line, it becomes a very good movie. In fact, it becomes one of the best movies I've seen this year. It's a movie that is smart and funny, adventurous and visually stunning.

Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) is a forty-something daydreamer who works at Life Magazine in the photography department. Evil bearded Ted (Adam Scott, mean and hilarious) announces Life Magazine is moving online and will be publishing their final issue with a negative from famed photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn). The only problem? Walter seems to have lost the negative. So, with urging from a pretty co-worker he's crushing on (Kristen Wiig), Walter embarks on an actual adventure, instead of just one that plays in his head. He starts following a few very vague clues and ends up at a dive bar in Greenland where he soon heads on a helicopter to a boat in the middle of the ocean. I guess, this is where the movie finally gets good because, from there, it's nearly non-stop adventure as Walter travels the world, meets interesting people and does amazing things.

This film was also directed by Stiller, and is based on a story I haven't read. When I first saw the previews, I was truly excited to see this film. The redundancy of which I saw that trailer sort of made me start to groan every time I saw it after a while, but I was still excited for the movie. And it didn't disappoint. I read somewhere that Stiller nailed the comedic aspect of the film, but didn't really sell the more dramatic parts. I disagree with that. I thought Stiller nailed the shy, reticent, day dreamer. Actually, I thought all of the performances were great, especially since almost all of the actors in this movie are more well known for comedy than anything else. But, they all gave pretty well-rounded performances. Of course, I'm the biggest Sean Penn fan in the world, and I think his small scene near the end is, far and away, the highlight of the film. The moment between Sean and Walter near the end is an absolutely beautiful scene.

Another great thing about the movie is the visuals. I don't know if it had a lot to do with Stiller as a director, per se, or if he just managed to find truly beautiful places to shoot, but the cinematography is stunning. From the run down charm of Greenland to the majestic Himalayas to skateboarding through the rolling fields of Iceland, every scene on Walter's journey is gorgeous to look at.

Of course, the real theme of the movie has to do with finding someone to connect to (which has been in a theme in a lot of movies I've watched this year), and Stiller and Wiig sell that aspect of the film as well. They have great playful, awkward chemistry. The movie may start on the slow side, but it certainly picks up and becomes a truly great movie going experience. I'm not usually one for "nice" movies, but this is definitely a very sweet, very heartwarming, nice movie.

Grade: B+

Mini Reviews

Every year, I try to watch as many film released within that year as possible, so that at the year's end I have as many films as possible for consideration onto my best and worst lists. So, I've been keeping up with films I missed at the theater or that went straight to DVD through Netflix. Here are some mini reviews for those films.

Being Flynn
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Paul Dano, Olivia Thirlby
Plot: A wannabe writer discovers his deadbeat dad is sort of a loser despite the fact that he claims to be the greatest living American writer.
Thoughts: Solid acting from Dano and DeNiro can't save this cheesy, melodramatic, boring mess of a movie.
Grade: C+

Friends With Kids
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Maya Rudolf, Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Chris O'Dowd, Ed Burns, Megan Fox
Plot: A woman in her upper 30s and her longtime best friend decide to avoid the pratfalls of their friends who got married and had kids and just stay friends and have a kid.
Thoughts: The first two thirds of this movie are an absolute joy. The cast is fantastic and it's genuinely touching and funny and well-written. However, a cliched third act threatens to ruin everything.
Grade: B-

Hick
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Blake Lively, Eddie Redmayne, Juliette Lewis, Rory Culkin
Plot: A young girl realizes she's had enough of her hick family and decideds to run away to Vegas where she plans on finding a rich man. She meets some shady people along the way.
Thoughts: A super mess of a movie, although Moretz is great. But even Juliette Lewis (who really isn't in enough movies these days) and Rory Culkin (the best Culkin!) can't save this mess.
Grade: D+

Innkeepers
Starring: Sara Paxton
Plot: On the last weekend run for a Bed and Breakfast, two co-workers decide to investigate the fact that the place may haunted.
Thoughts: A fairly effective, yet predictable, ghost story. The moments of boredom and the overall lameness is nearly saved by a really great ending.
Grade: C+

Lockout
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace
Plot: In the near future, there is a maximum security prison floating in space. The president's daughter (Grace) happens to be there when a riot breaks out. A conman (Pearce) is sent in to save the day.
Thoughts: Super cliched in just about every way, but also not such a bad way to spend a mindless summer night. Pearce is the saving grace as a smart ass anti-hero.
Grade: C-

Project X
Plot: High schoolers throw the most epic party ever.
Thoughts: It wants to be Superbad or The Hangover, but it's not nearly funny enough to be either. It tries its best to be shocking but that's not enough.
Grade: D+

The Woman in Black
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe
Plot: A young man goes to the English countryside to investigate the death of a woman.
Thoughts: Totally boring and cliched up until about the last 5 minutes when it finally got compelling, but too little too late.
Grade: D

Bachelorette

Bachelorette wants to be the female version of The Hangover, or a much rowdier version of Bridesmaids, but unfortunately if fails on both attempts. While the cast is winning, the overall despicable nature of the characters set it apart from Bridesmaids, where everyone was sort of loveable, and the fact that the jokes fail more times than they succeed set it apart from the hilarious Hangover.

Bachelorette opens with a friendly lunch between Regan (Kirsten Dunst) and Becky (Rebel Wilson). Regan is waxing poetic about how great her life is: she works with children with cancer, she dates a doctor, she's blonde and gorgeous and skinny and ultimately seemingly has the best life ever. Then Becky drops the bomb. She's getting married... before Regan... to a super hot, rich guy. Regan is floored, but her raging jealousy doesn't get in the way of her type A personality in which she needs to control everything and ultimately spends six months planning a fairytale wedding. Fast forward to the night before the wedding, when Regan and Becky are joined by their other two besties from high school - Gena (Lizzy Caplan), a snarky cynic whose life is ultimately a big huge mess, and Katie (Isla Fisher), who does A LOT of cocaine. I mean, A LOT. While at the rehearsal dinner, Katie is more concerned with drinking and doing cocaine, while Gena is concerned with the one who got away. Clyde (Adam Scott) broke her heart in high school and neither one of them really ever got over it. The post-rehearsal dinner bachelorette party hits the skids when the hired stripper accidentally calls Becky "Pig Face" (her high school nickname). Becky gets upset, calls the whole party off and heads to bed. This leaves Regan, Gena and Katie alone with lots of drugs and alcohol and a wedding dress which they ultimately destroy and then spend the rest of the night trying to fix in time for the early morning wedding.

If this movie works at all, it's because of the cast, which is phenomenal. Kirsten Dunst is great as the control freak who wants to help her friend plan the perfect wedding, but doesn't want it to be too perfect, because she's not-so-quietly wishing this was her wedding instead. Isla Fisher is hilarious as the dumb party girl friend who, despite all her faults, has a heart of gold. Adam Scott, who I love so much, is fantastic as the object of Gena's affection. Rebel Wilson is great, but her part is unfortunately too small. I wish the movie had more of her, because she is arguably the only likeable character in the whole film. But the true stand out of the cast, for me, was Lizzy Caplan, who plays dark and damaged and cynical so, so, so very well.

Like I said, it's raunchy and wants to be The Hangover, but it's not nearly funny enough. There are a few funny parts but ultimately, most of the jokes fall short. Also, it doesn't have near enough heart to be like Bridesmaids, which succeeded because it was a very funny movie that celebrated female friendship. These girls are the ultimate mean girls, jealous, insecure and in constant need of putting someone down (in this case, the overweight bride who doesn't feel good enough for her hottie fiancee). While you do get a sense that these girls care about each other a little bit, they ultimately are terrible people who you really can't believe care that much about anything besides themselves.

Grade: C+