THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

Ben Stiller should be honoured as I chose to spend part of my birthday with him thanks to a free Month of your Birthday movie ticket. Or not.

I love this short story by James Thurber.

The 1947 movie starring Danny Kaye had potential, but went too studio silly, but it’s still worth a watch.

This version with Ben Stiller is unique. It’s rich and exuberant, sumptuous and sparse, and like Walter himself keeps reaching for its potential. It stumbles en route, takes a few awkward turns here and there. But overall, it found its way.

Stiller is good at playing guys who are jammed in a rut or haven’t reached their possibilities…maybe not Zoolander, I think he’d done his best with what he had, more or less.

This is a relaxed ride to highlight Stiller as a more serious actor, with some funny bits. Like Jim Carrey tried with The Truman Show.

I will recommend the movie with a qualification that reading the Thurber short story is a must…then enjoy the movies.

Sean Penn was a stunning standout as the phantom extreme photophilosopher.

Shirley Maclaine was superb…of course.

And one of my fav performers was the inebriated helicopter pilot, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson; I hope we see more of him.

Tad disappointed in Kristen Wiig, same goes for Anchorman 2, just seems like she’s not giving it her all.

There was no way of leaving the theater without thinking you could do more with your life. And I don’t mean more shopping.