I’m all smiles reading the reviews of this movie, likely posted by the same people who gave “thumbs up” to Inside Llewyn Davis! They got it wrong, on both counts.
To be clear; I’m saying, movie critics have little value, in my humble opinion.
Let me also clarify these facts: We saw “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” today and last weekend, we saw Inside Llewyn Davis. One was fun, one was not so much!
Walter Mitty was predictably corny, sweet, and stupid, which can also be said, I suppose, for Ben Stiller. You know what you’re in for, before you go. It matters little to me that the whole thing was ridiculous. If a movie makes me feel something, in this case, inspired to become a better writer and take up photography again very soon, then I win. This was the case for me, because I went in with a curiosity about how anyone could properly represent the classic Thurber story (one of my favorites). I quickly learned it could not be done. So, I resigned myself to simply enjoying some entertainment.
Contrast that with the other film, which made me want to hang myself about a minute into the drama.
Last year, at Christmas, we saw, Les Misérables and as expected, that’s how I felt about the experience. So many hours of my life are now irretrievable, for the sole purpose of seeing a classic represented in song and drama. History lesson, Homeric heroism, some pretty good actors and a few pretty girls still did not justify the waste of time.
Well, humbug, I really don’t know how to wrap this up from here. I’m glad they won’t be making a movie of the Catcher in the Rye (my favorite book). I’m happy I saw and enjoyed Walter Mitty, even if I correctly guessed the “surprise” ending. If nothing else, I may do some research on the end of Life magazine, which figured prominently into the story line.
Merry Christmas to you.