THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY is a book I read a very long time ago. So long ago, I cannot recall the story line. The fact I remember the title makes me think I enjoyed what the author shared.
I decided to watch a movie and I am discouraged as I do not recognize any movie titles available. And then, there it is THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY. This makes decision making easier. I settle in with my popcorn expecting to walk down the path of a story once known. This is not the case.
Ben Stiller stars in this movie and I am so what ambivalent about him. I then realize the main female character is from Saturday Night Live and I keep expecting her to turn into one of her random characters. The movie starts very slowly and it is quite mundane. As the story unfolds, I begin to wonder what age I had been when I read this book.
I amaze my self by continuing to watch this very bland tale. Slowly, I begin to notice that scenes from Greenland, Iceland, and the Himalayas are really quite beautiful ... the story, not so much. In fact, I enjoy the music better than the tale. Even an appearance by Shirley MacLane doesn't save the day.
A reward for suffering through this elementary nonsense comes within the last fifteen minutes or so. It involves Sean Penn closing in on a "Ghost Cat" with his powerful camera. It is well known this reclusive animal wanders these parts but rarely is the beautiful animal seen. Sean Penn has the lens of his camera totally capturing the magnificent "Ghost Cat" but he does not take the shot. He explains he does this sometimes ... seeks something randomly, but when I finds it, he has no desire to capture it. The close shot of him reflects tears in his eyes as he says something like, "I just like to pause to enjoy the moment."
The very ending honors all of the worker bees who never receive recognition for a job well then. It reminds us every success is choreographed by many, and not just one. A good reminder, I guess.
I shake my head in question of wasted time viewing this flick. It was not funny enough to be a comedy and not serious enough to be a drama. My lasting memory will be of Sean Penn (who is looking more like Robert De Niro as he ages) with the large cat up in the Himalayans, pausing for a perfect moment.
We all need to appreciate our perfect moments, but unfortunately, this was not mine
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