I am not sure why I missed this little gem of a movie upon it’s release. I happened to watch it last night, and I am glad I did. It was such a feel good movie and it made me want to get out there and live my life!
Being a moderate box office success, the movie received mixed reviews. Some praise it for it’s theme and content, while others were put off by it’s over simplicity and predictability. Post release, the movie has developed a cult status with fans vouching for the movie. Having said that, when I saw it last night, with no expectations, I was pulled in for an enthralling ride.
Ben Stiller plays Walter Mitty, a 42 years old Negative Asset Manager at Life Magazine. He may be single, living on his own, working his bank balance book but he is not sad or depressed. He takes a liking to a new employee at his work place Chery, played by Kirsten Wiig, but is too shy to talk to her in person.
Life Magazine is about to go online and so the new boss, with a beard, comes in and announces some firing of staff. Walter is given a series of negatives by Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn), who is a widely acclaimed photojournalist. Walter receives all the negative, except negative 25, which is needed for the final cover of Life Magazine. He is given a series of clues, which he must follow to retrieve the final picture.
Now, Walter has a problem. He daydreams a lot. When overhears Cheryl talk about being rescued by an Arctic explore, he imagines himself to the hero. When the new boss taunts Walter, he imagines beating the crap out of him. When he is at a karaoke bar, he imagines Cheryl singing a song to him. There is also a cheeky reference to Benjamin Button, as Walter imagines his old age with the love of his life. These scenes are highly entertaining, because let’s face it, which one of us haven’t daydreamed? We all imagine such scenarios in our minds at one time or another.
In seeking the missing picture, Walter catches a flight to Greenland, that takes him further on to Iceland and eventually to the Lower Himalaya mountains in Afghanistan. These are exciting moments which uplifts you and brings joy to your life.
The special effects are so much fun and very cleverly done. The music is also one of the best thing, especially the song by Jose Gonzalez Don’t Let it Pass.
Why do I like this movie? Here’s why…
Stop daydreaming. Wake up.
The simple message is to stop daydreaming. To make your dreams come true, get out of bed and go for it. Enough of pondering and mulling over your goals. Get into action and seize the day.
- Be Bold. Be courageous.
Be bold enough to take action towards the dream. Get out of your comfort zone. Be courageous enough to achieve what you want in life. Don’t give a damn to what others say.
- Travel
The best education in life is to travel. Experiences teach you a lot. Travel and broaden your mind.
There is a constant theme running throughout the movie about the purpose of life, courtesy of Life Magazine motto:
The movie is full of inspirational moments and leaves you with a huge sense of feeling that life isn’t so bad after all.
4 out of 5
Mansour Ahsan 