After he is unable to “send a wink” to a woman on eHarmony, Walter Mitty calls an eHarmony employee, Todd, who notices the emptiness of Mitty’s profile and comments that the “been there done that” section is blank. “Have you done anything noteworthy, mentionable?” There is silence on the other line, as Mitty imagines himself jumping heroically into a burning building until he is jolted back into reality by a passing train. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty portrays the story of a man who dreams of exploring the world while doing great and noble acts, yet is confined by his inability to transform his dreams into reality.
Like many of us, Walter Mitty, played by Ben Stiller, feels a disconnect between who he is and who he wants to be. Mitty is known to zone-out constantly throughout the day. He fantasizes about bridging this gap and becoming an idealized version of himself, someone who is courageous and creative. In those dreams, everything seems so easy, the right words flowing effortlessly into the perfect punch lines and his fearful hesitation instantly replaced by bravery and action. If he cannot live a more exciting life, at least he can pretend. These dreams allow him to create his own perfect life, even if only for a moment.
After his father died, Mitty worked to support his mother and sister. He eventually got a job working for Life magazine, where he processed pictures. Here the audience sees the contrast between the photos of love, hope, death, tragedy, beauty and Walter Mitty, a sad, lonely man, sitting in a dark room filled with pictures of other people’s grand lives. He may have been breathing and eating, but he wasn’t living in the fullest sense of the word. He was too scared or too comfortable to try to be different—until he is called upon to act.
As he runs down the hallway to his mission, he passes posters of Life magazine covers that feature great people. As he nears the end, the camera pauses on the last poster, a picture of himself with the title “Making of a Brave Man.” When put up to the challenge, Walter Mitty realizes his own hidden potential. As he travels from adventure to adventure, he takes with him the travel book his dad gave him as a kid, which he had left empty.
Overall, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a captivating movie. Stiller draws the audience to empathize with his character and root for him throughout the adventure. Sean Penn also does an excellent job as Sean O’ Connell, the daring photojournalist, who unintentionally sends Mitty on his adventure. In addition, the winsome plot, beautiful thematic music, and magnificent landscapes largely contribute to the thrill of the movie. Throughout Mitty’s quest, the audience will enjoy the breathtaking scenes of nature.
Though he thought greatness was only in his dreams, Mitty found out that he was something great all along. The movie summons us to question our acceptance of life the way it is, and challenges us to turn our dreams into realities. We only live once—let’s live it beautifully.