The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
An office worker who lives inside fantasy worlds where he gets to live an adventurous life while romancing his co-worker sets off a global journey to fix things when both of their jobs are threatened. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Ben Stiller
Written By: Steve Conrad, James Thurber
Starring: Ben Stiller, Patton Oswalt, Shirley MacLaine, Sean Penn, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Adrian Martinez, Joey Slotnick, Gary Wilmes, Toshiko Onizawa, Finise Avery
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Adventure
Where to Stream
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty belongs to 30 collections
1. Favorite Film of Every Criticker Member (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 96 stars)
2. Passed the Bechdel Test (collaborative: moderated by geohawk - 29 stars)
3. Feel Good Movies (collaborative: moderated by Midaso - 17 stars)
4. Remake (collaborative: moderated by td888 - 9 stars)
5. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)
6. Director/star combination (collaborative: moderated by djross - 5 stars)
7. The Dissolve: 2013's Movies To See (collaborative: moderated by von krogh - 5 stars)
8. Photography (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 5 stars)
9. Availability: Netflix Canada (collaborative: moderated by geohawk - 5 stars)
10. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)
11. Product Placement (collaborative: moderated by Jellysauce - 3 stars)
12. Top 1000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 3 stars)
13. Movies about photography (collaborative: moderated by Hkit - 2 stars)
14. Top 2000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 2 stars)
15. NBR Top 10 Films (collaborative: moderated by xacviant - 1 star)
16. film puanlamalarım (collaborative - 1 star)
17. Availability: Disney+ and Star Canada (collaborative: moderated by geohawk - 1 star)
18. Mind blowing collection (collaborative: moderated by hakkanarejo)
19. Like Stories of Old (collaborative: moderated by BeeDub)
20. Available on Divicast (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx)
21. zae's DVDs & Blurays (public: zae)
22. My DVD Collection (public: balseiros)
23. Netflix Instant and Popcorn Time (public: TraverseTown)
24. Sine-Müzik (public: Ozancan)
25. En İyi Yol Filmleri (public: Ozancan)
26. P. Watched List (public: nnraiden)
27. Seen, Not Rated (public: SageSledge)
28. C-Snacks (public: cantahta)
29. must watch (public: gintokidai)
30. Adaptations (public: Unsaintly)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 8 |  |
mwgerb | 48 40th |
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This movie suffers from a case of overdoing everything. Whether it's overdoing Adam Scott's dickishness, overdoing the repetition of the Life motto, overdoing the daydream movie-esque sequences, overdoing the quirky coincidences, or just overdoing the amount that Walter Mitty succeeds. It turns what could have been (and in a few respects still is) a bold, imaginative masterpiece into a feel-good, cliched, average Hollywood movie.
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| 6 |  |
cagedwisdom | 75 65th |
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I really liked this, but it lacks something in the tangible soul and heart department to get full marks from me. Visually I thought this was far better than the likes of The Life of Pi, which is probably a weird comparison, but it was a comparison I though about a lot during this film. I really like Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig. Despte the film's tendency to trip over itself when trying to produce its narrative, it was a unique and memorable experience for me. Recommended.
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| 6 | jthusky | 72 59th |
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This movie is the opposite of subtext. It is wholly and fully just text. But it's really not that bad of a thing. There's a lot of humor. The cinematography and editing make up for the unnecessarily twisty plot. Performances are fine. Biggest quibble: It's totally unfair to score a major life-changing sequence to "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire. That song is way too special, man.
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| 4 |  |
terrymac | 82 89th |
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Okay, it's maybe a bit insubstantial, and a bit straightforward. However, it is the first film I've seen in ages that left me with a grin on my face and feeling rosy, and that can't be a bad thing. Nicely acted, and beautifully shot. I'd like to see what Stiller could do with weightier material.
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| 3 |  |
frederic_g54 | 6 35th |
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Likely under considerable studio pressure, Stiller turns what could've been an unforgettable adventure into bright, unmemorable fluff. All the ingredients are there really, yet the real-life journey his titular character embarks on never feels entirely believable. It's just kind of there.
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| 3 |  |
MArkjp | 80 70th |
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Stiller presents us with a serious contender for feel good movie of the year. One of those that will have you smiling through the entire thing. Yes, like must feel good films you'll feel even worse about your life afterwards, but that wasn't my point. Anywho: Great visuals and very entertaining although a bit uneven plotwise. And might I just give Kristen Wiig an honourable mention for pulling off a non-annoying, adult version of Zooey Deschanel. Very attractive.
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| 3 |  |
Robertas | 83 84th |
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Beautiful things don't ask for attention
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| 2 |  |
td888 | 50 42nd |
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I really wanted to like this, but it's just not there. There's no flow, just pretty pictures.
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| 2 |  |
letskillrobots | 6 15th |
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Best part of the movie:
Wiig to Stiller: Is [Iceland] beautiful?
Guy behind me: NO.
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| 2 |  |
Ocelot | 60 54th |
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I really wanted this to be Ben Stiller's Annie Hall, and it's, uh, very much not. On the other hand, it's better than I was led to believe, and I don't think it couldn't have been great. The themes are a little too on the nose, but I think the biggest problem was that it felt too small, as if it felt the need to remain plausible. He climbed the Himalayas but I wanted him to go to space. The movie tries its hardest to remain realistic and I think, ultimately, that's its greatest flaw.
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| 2 |  |
Okkervil | 60 52nd |
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There are moments here where everything crescendo's together beautifully; with Stiller's direction, the stunning landcapes, supurb original score & stronger parts of the story all merging nicely. Issues creep in though. The story doesn't knit together as a whole, with characters & themes too fluffy & non-descript. Attempts at satire fall flat too, & for a long film where so much happens there's a curious lack of connection with Mitty as a relatable entity. I moan, but did really quite like it.
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| 2 |  |
jack parsons | 10 92nd |
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Wide angle fans, rejoice. The composition of every. single. shot. was just perfect. A very empowering story, great performances, subtle comedy, and perfect cinematography. The soundtrack was perfect featuring some of my favorites by Arcade Fire, Of Monsters and Men., and Jose Gonzalez. I loved it. I look forward to more films with Stiller at the helm.
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| 2 |  |
VinegarBob | 75 67th |
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Some eye-rolling plot contrivances and cliched boy-gets-girl-in-the-end story aside this is actually a really well directed and at times gently moving film, featuring good performances, some breathtaking scenery and plenty of funny scenes. I could have done without the intrusive product placement but enjoyable nevertheless.
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| 2 |  |
GordonBombay | 75 53rd |
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It lacked that certain something to make it a great movie, but as a sweet let's-cuddle-in-front-of-the-fire-feel-good-movies it works. It never pretends to be more than it is. Like that first kiss you had out behind the school while you were both wearing ridiculous 80s clothes. You can talk it up, you can talk it down. It didn't change your life but while it happened it was nice. So what if i got mono. I feel like i might have gotten a bit off track here. But a nice sweet kiss... movie.
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| 2 |  |
hellboy76 | 68 65th |
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Sometimes the feels did not live up to the grand soaring soundtrack, but it was honest and didn't seem too manipulative in achieving it's heartfelt message.
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| 2 |  |
guy piranha | 60 40th |
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it's probably meant well, and i do agree with the basic message. but it's just so lightweight, so sparkly fairy-dust happy happy. with the way it's shot and the soundtrack i practically waited for someone to jump out and try to sell me life insurance or camel active wear. there's no friction, the daydreaming thing get's old very soon and the "adventures" have this completely safe feel, which negates the whole point. to sum it up: it's a naive movie for naive people. now go, catch a rainbow! FAG!
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| 2 | Colten97 | 85 29th |
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The cast understands their characters well, especially Stiller, who seems to be going on a journey himself in "Walter Mitty." He's always been a unique comedic voice at his best, or at least boldest. After this film, however, I'm curious to see where he'll take us next, and what type of movie we can expect out of him. Hopefully, it'll be something like this, where we don't know what to expect.
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| 1 |  |
Zarkon | 80 53rd |
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The movie could've done without the ridiculous Adam Scott character and the first act is too plodding. But Stiller deserves credit for making such a gentle film without resorting to manipulative tactics... well, except the embedded inspirational messages. If you were bothered by the product placement -- including one for a mostly-defunct magazine -- it would probably do some good to take more of the film's message at face value.
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| 1 |  |
joeroxy | 54 18th |
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This one tries to be too much at the same time: comedy, drama and adventure movie. In the end none of these genres are really developed thorougly and you end up with nothing that's interesting enough to stay in your seat.
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| 1 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 74 40th |
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Tries to be both a "chase your dreams" film and an "appreciate what you have" film and falters by being unwilling to commit to either. That ambivalence also affects the film's tone which gets sentimental or excited for things that aren't very well set up. Still, despite those problems it has funny moments and is rather sweet, and provides an interesting seed for thinking about finding meaning in life.
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| 1 |  |
bowfinger | 70 69th |
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Stiller wastes a golden opportunity to do something great, and settles for just good. This could have been his Truman Show, but instead, he can't help himself, and throws in some MTV humor he loves so much, sometimes using cinematic technology just a tad too much. It's a shame, but still, it's a feel good movie, worth a watch.
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| 1 |  |
Mentaculus | 82 77th |
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A patient comedy in the old Samuel Goldwyn tradition, SLoWM succeeds because it achieves exactly what it sets out to do. Stiller's confident direction allows the broad strokes and more intimate moments [there's a beautifully awkward hug in an elevator that most would have cut away from too soon -- luckily, we get a few extra gorgeous seconds] to generate equal emotional weight. And not many films can turn the MacGuffin into the Moral and make it look this effortless.
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| 1 |  |
ChrisPalm | 79 77th |
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Starts off really boring, even the smaller "dream scenes" was somehow just not interesting.
Then something happens, the film turns more serious, and the focus on characters and emotions combined with stunning visuals actually turns the movie around. It ends up being quite good. And yeah, Penn's quote "beautiful things dont ask for attention" got stuck in my head
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| 1 |  |
BillyShears | 50 21st |
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What a waste of a concept so we get to lead to Ben Stiller holding Wiig's hand. You know how to make this movie idiot Hollywood? You switch Stiller for Patton Oswalt and have him pretending to be aerial dogfighting in traffic, doing slamdunks in a church, eating a bowl of god damn lava and burping steam. But no we gotta watch Ben Stiller get all maudlin over Papa John's
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| 1 |  |
roonay3k | 48 20th |
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I'm a fan of Ben Stiller but this was a huge letdown! The daydreaming part was really silly. Wasn't funny at all. It was actually kind of lame!
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| 1 |  |
Luna6ix | 72 41st |
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Pretty forgettable, but it's a generally warm feeling movie. Hollywood has a way of taking even remakes of seventy year old movies and making them fit the same templates that they use today, it's a little uninspiring and sad. There were a few moments where Ben Stiller really shines and gets a good laugh going or tugs on the heartstrings a little bit, but don't go out of your way to watch this one. There are far better family friendly movies floating around.
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| 1 |  |
XakkMaster | 71 43rd |
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It's charming and nicely directed. Good soundtrack, fine performances, lovely photography, but also full of distractingly cheesy moments.
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| 1 |  |
INDYATMN | 70 24th |
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Very pretty to look at, but if you've seen the trailer there won't be a moment of surprise to be had since the film adds absolutely nothing new or interesting to the generic self-improvement storyline. Stiller remains a skilled parodist; unfortunately this is attempting to be an uplifting drama about finding your courage. The only laughs to be found are in a dream sequence that turns into a parody of Benjamin Button, while every other non-parodic attempt at humor falls flat.
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| 1 |  |
Stewball | 80 80th |
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Interestingly original. Great visuals and I like Kristen Wiig more every time I see her. Minor plot problem with the wallet being tossed. Great use of music. There will of course be those purists who'll whine about it not following the book more closely.
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| 1 |  |
omgfridge | 6 53rd |
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You just want to feel more. You just want more to happen. Guess I can just go inside my head and imagine I saw something somewhat more remarkable.
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| 1 | thefriedone | 80 69th |
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Still have Space Oddity stuck in my head the next day. That's probably a good sign.
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| 1 |  |
bolivar | 45 9th |
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well, that was a nauseating experience. cheesy, banal and poor in virtually every way.
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| 1 |  |
kgbelliveau | 90 82nd |
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Life is about the perfectly random moments that we all have the ability to create in an instant. Walter Mitty is stuck and often daydreams to allow an escape from his routine. It is only when Walter escapes his comfort zone that he truly begins to experience the magic of life, how spontaneous and adventurous it can truly be. Walter Mitty is a character that one can easily relate too and is often misunderstood. The magic of this film comes from seeing yourself in Mitty.
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| 1 |  |
dwyer | 83 76th |
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Where The Secret Life of Walter Mitty succeeds is in its ability to bring us into its main character and then dare us not to make it just a movie. The critics seem to say it hasn't earned that, but I would beg to differ. A gently moving, beautiful-to-look-at, low-pressure inspiration of a film.
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| 1 |  |
billkerwin | 65 8th |
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Is this a comedy marred by lame action sequences, or an action film marred by lame comic sequences? Or is it a sappy film about the meaning of life, like those other Conrad movies, "The Weatherman" and the "The Pursuit of Happyness"? Or is it one long product placement for Papa John's, Harmony.com and a moribund Life Magazine? I'm not sure, but I can tell you what it ain't: it ain't Thurber.
Wiig and Stiller are charming, but Stiller's direction is glacial, which only makes things worse.
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| 1 | forehead1 | 20 3rd |
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Mitty's biggest mistake (amongst others) is failing to provide its titular character with a consistent motivation throughout. What's his drive? Get the girl? Go on adventure? Justify his life? We're never sure, and we never care. It's just a string of interminably long, incredibly dull conversations, occasionally peppering in cheap-looking CGI action scenes to wake the audience up. Doesn't work. Neither dramatic or funny, inspiring nor thoughtful. I can't see what anyone could get out of this.
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| 1 |  |
d_r_e_s_ | 3 65th |
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It definitely had some good elements, and for the most part I really liked it, but somehow it doesn't get where you want it to go, to become really great. Furthermore I understand why people would disagree with me on this, but this is actually the best Ben Stiller movie and role I yet have seen. - Good
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| 1 |  |
Wezzo | 78 44th |
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My screening was somewhat adversely affected by rowdy teenagers who felt it appropriate to chat, text and most incredulously, watch videos aloud on their phones during the movie. Still, what I did see seemed a very pleasant, if unltimately insubstantial, fable. It's funny and clever, and while it's slight compared to most life-reaffirmation flicks, I don't think that's such a bad thing in a genre-hopping flick like this; the whimsy sits neatly alongside the existential pondering.
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| 1 |  |
burkayadalig | 63 23rd |
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Ben Stiller wanted to make an independent looking feel good movie, but missed on so many levels..
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| 1 |  |
thegreyfox | 40 12th |
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Well this comedy really was a laugh a film !! At least I can't remember more than the one. I can excuse a paper thin plot stretched to near transparency as long as it is unpredictable, or funny, or believable, but this was totally predictable, completely unfunny and unrelentingly unbelievable (I mean the parts that weren't fantasy) from start to finish. It was nothing but a 114 minute travelog (which WAS beautiful) with Ben Stiller evolving from nerd to hero in the space of about 5 days. Boring.
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| 1 |  |
NothingsGood | 65 64th |
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A bit uneven, largely due to Stiller's inability to make his actors more than caricatures. Stunning cinematography and editing gives the material weight, though it's not as poignant or fun as the story its adapting.
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| 1 |  |
TheDailyNathan | 62 21st |
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Gorgeous cinematography, and a good concept for the movie. However the acting here is just bland, especially on Ben Stiller's part. You need the bland to play the office guy role, but jumping into imagination he's the same guy - it never sells in the way of genuine expression, that perhaps a Jim Carrey/Eternal Sunshine actor would. The rest of the cast is pretty bad and non-characters that serve for Walter to react to.
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| 1 |  |
Leonardis | 82 40th |
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I honestly think this is a good movie and it really doesn't some of the bad criticism it got. Ben Stiller is a good director here and I really really liked the cinema and feel for the whole thing, The Secret Life of Walter MItty is at times funny and feels somewhat extraordinary. Worth watching.
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| 1 |  |
nickwin_dk | 79 80th |
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I expected this to be funny and perhaps a little goofy. What it is is a breathtaking work of art. The movie is just wonderful. It's funny, thought provoking, touching at times and startling at others. It's entertaining throughout. And the visuals in this film were particularly fantastic!
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| 1 |  |
mattorama12 | 58 30th |
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I can't put my finger on what it is, but everything felt just a little off the mark here. I'd also heard for years that this film gives you crazy wanderlust, so I was always waiting until there was a good time to watch this right before a vacation. It did not give me wanderlust at all, so I don't know where or why I'd heard that. Douchebag Adam Scott is the best Adam Scott.
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| 1 |  |
hotsake | 70 74th |
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An uneven film that was ultimately still entertaining.
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| 1 |  |
QtheAlmighty | 75 50th |
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The movie is almost puerile with how feel-good it is, but in all it does it reminds me that though people cast aspersions on human awareness, feeling, and yearning these things are what make us more and elevate us to greatnesses and experiences far beyond what we might find ourselves capable of when trapped in a box of our own pessimistic making. Maybe I'm just being too sentimental about it, but this called out to that potent joie de vivre bursting out from the concrete that we all know in us.
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| 1 |  |
TamCam | 77 77th |
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This movie is a hipster's dream come true: photography, Greenland, Iceland and a soundtrack that mostly consists of José González. Not the deepest story, but quirky and likeable enough. Most of all it envoked my wanderlust and established some respect for Ben Stiller in me.
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| 1 |  |
LookJabba... | 6 41st |
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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is a film of mixed quality. Some elements are spectacular, whilst others are infuriatingly unforgiving. Stiller has undoubtedly matured as a Director and visually he brings real quality to this film. Some of the cinematography is absolutely stunning and the sense of escape, adventure and wonder makes for a pleasing experience. However the clichés, product placements, annoying characters and the simplistic paint by numbers plot tarnishes what is visually beautiful.
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| 1 | PluggedIN | 90 92nd |
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This isn't a spiritual story. But it sometimes feels a little like one. It was Jesus, after all, who said, in John 10:10, "My purpose is to give [you] a rich and satisfying life."
So despite a few rough edges, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty proves to be positive, optimistic, enjoyable and, yes, surprising. For it is indeed surprising today to find a small, thoughtful movie that can be and do all that. (pluggedin.com)
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| 1 |  |
Sheldrake | 60 51st |
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I really liked some of the visuals and the way it weaved its moral together, but its look and soundtrack make it essentially a really long credit card commercial.
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| 1 | khanger | 76 33rd |
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This one is a little cliched, and at times heavy handed with the product placement, but gosh darnit, I loved the photography and the soundtrack.
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| 1 |  |
JackRyan2014 | 51 42nd |
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Enjoyable enough movie that's well directed and looks great but the amount of product placement made it feel like I was watching a 2 hour commercial. Cinnabon and e-harmony jumped out as the most obvious, as well as making Greenland and Iceland the next go to holiday destination, but here are some others I noticed: Life, Papa Johns, Kodak, KFC, Google, Facebook, Instagram, Heineken, Sesame Street, jansport, Air America and Air Greenland
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| Average Percentile 49.69% from 3143 Ratings |  |