Taking an extremely popular, if mediocre, Danny Kaye comedy and
revamping it for the 21st century might seem like either a misconceived
vanity project or just a dip in judgement on the part of its
star/director but Ben Stiller's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a very real and very pleasant surprise. It's more a travelogue than it is a fantasy film and it looks extraordinary, (DoP Stuart Dryburgh), and Stiller is excellent as Mitty. There's also good work from Kristen Wiig as the object of his affections and Adam Scott as his smarmy boss; even Shirley MacLaine turns in a nicely underplayed cameo as his mother. It could be funnier or more exciting or even just a little bit touching; instead it tends to just coast along inoffensively spouting New Age profundities that are never that profound. What it really needs is a stronger script. Otherwise, I have no real complaints. It may not be anyone's masterpiece but no way is it a turkey either.Friday 22 March 2019
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY **
Taking an extremely popular, if mediocre, Danny Kaye comedy and
revamping it for the 21st century might seem like either a misconceived
vanity project or just a dip in judgement on the part of its
star/director but Ben Stiller's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a very real and very pleasant surprise. It's more a travelogue than it is a fantasy film and it looks extraordinary, (DoP Stuart Dryburgh), and Stiller is excellent as Mitty. There's also good work from Kristen Wiig as the object of his affections and Adam Scott as his smarmy boss; even Shirley MacLaine turns in a nicely underplayed cameo as his mother. It could be funnier or more exciting or even just a little bit touching; instead it tends to just coast along inoffensively spouting New Age profundities that are never that profound. What it really needs is a stronger script. Otherwise, I have no real complaints. It may not be anyone's masterpiece but no way is it a turkey either.
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