THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY SYNOPIS With his job on the line perpetual daydreamer Walter Mitty must go on a very real journey that may change his life. I tend to be very unenthusiastic about films that try to tug at the heart strings, it’s not that I’m overly cynical, I just never seem to get into them enough not to see the cynical techniques behind them. Every now and then I come across a film whose character and story are compelling enough that I can really get into the film and “go with it” as it were. Walter’s story works on a couple of levels, the first is Ben Stiller’s sincere performance that makes Walter into a sympathetic character rather than simply an object of pity or ridicule. The second is the script which blends humour with drama skilfully so the film never feels contrived (though the situations mainly are). Stiller’s direction also has to be credited, switching seamlessly between the awkward clumsily real world and Walter’s slick stylised dream sequences. One of the best things about the moments when Mitty “zones out” is that they feel like little movies in themselves with real effort put in. They tend to catch the audience by surprise, with no mist on the screen or harp music so that inevitable, embarrassing, return to reality provide great humour. Some of the script’s aforementioned contrivances tend to strain a little towards the film’s end (one scene in particular would have made my eyes roll in a lesser film). That’s the key to it ,the film’s other elements - performances and direction - work so well that you can excuse some of the deus ex machine deus ex machina if you get into the film you can even go with it. FINAL VERDICT 8/10 it may be a bit on the mushy side but its delivers solid entertainment.