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Published on July 30th, 2013 | by Scott Meaney

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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Here comes another “interesting” Ben Stiller project. 

I mean that! For all the crap he takes online, Ben Stiller has been responsible for some fine work over the years, including There’s Something About Mary, Permanent Midnight and Tropic Thunder.  Now, Stiller is directing and starring in the movie adaptation of one of my favorite short stories, James Thurber’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

The original story focuses on Walter Mitty, a normal, yet boring man who lives in quiet agony. Walter is miserable with the “safe” choices he’s made in life. He copes with his mundane existence by daydreaming about the exciting, globetrotting adventures he wishes he could be having.

I can relate.

This isn’t a particularly “proud” admission, but Thurber’s story has always spoken to me. Walter Mitty is the poster child for anyone who ever wished they’d taken the harder road but were too weak. Mitty is the perfect image of a professional daydreamer, escaping the dull monotony of daily life by pretending to be something better: a fantastical version of their ideal self. A “Tyler Durden” alter-ego without the sinister edge.

The trailer for Stiller’s new film seems to perfectly capture this feeling:

Stiller’s movie will costar Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn and Adam Scott. This will be the second time Walter Mitty is being adapted into a feature film. The 1947 version is a classic but Stiller’s take already seems very intriguing. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty comes to theaters on December 25^th. I honestly can’t wait.

If you haven’t read Thurber’s story, please do. It’s sweet, tragic and funny all at once and in all the right ways. You can read the full text here.

Tags: Adam Scott, Ben Stiller, comedy, Daydreaming, drama, film, Kristen Wiig, movies

About the Author

Scott Meaney Scott is a massive film nerd, yet spends half his time arguing the artistic merits of Robocop 2 and Crank. Follow him on twitter: http://twitter.com/scottmeaney

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