Tonight I saw the secret life of Walter Mitty and I have to tell you, I really liked it.

This was a movie that I was really on the fence about seeing only because I am a purest and I love the original. The original is from 1947 and stars Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, and Boris Karloff. 

The thing that I did like is that it followed the basic premise, but didn’t go too far. The original movie had Danny Kaye living with his overbearing mother, who will turn him over soon to an overbearing fiance. The one thing they had in common was that they both led very quiet, non-descript lives that no one seemed to notice them and they would daydream about great adventures they would take and always, there is a girl.

That’s pretty much how the movies are similar, except for the message, which i well get to soon.

This version has Walter working for Life Magazine, he is devoted to his mother,  who loves him very much, played by Shirley McClain and to his nutty sister, who determined make it on Broadway. There is a photographer, played by Sean Penn who sets things motion, so to speak.

I have to tell you, I’m not a huge Ben Stiller fan, but i love this story and let me say, well done! He directed and starred and it worked. Kristen Wigg is the woman who he thinks about and the woman who encourages and inspires him.

All of a sudden he puts one foot in front the other and he’s off on an adventure, some of the time you’re not sure if he’s daydreaming or not. When those he cares about are in trouble, he finds his footing and the courage.

This is a great quote from the movie:
“Life is about courage and going into the unknown.”

It’s incredibly true, you don’t know what you can do until you try…just put one foot in front of the other, you might surprise yourself.

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