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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Play trailer Poster for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty PG 2013 1h 54m Comedy Adventure Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
52% Tomatometer 196 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller), an employee at Life magazine, spends day after monotonous day developing photos for the publication. To escape the tedium, Walter inhabits a world of exciting daydreams in which he is the undeniable hero. Walter fancies a fellow employee named Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) and would love to date her, but he feels unworthy. However, he gets a chance to have a real adventure when Life's new owners send him on a mission to obtain the perfect photo for the final print issue.
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

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Critics Consensus

It doesn't lack for ambition, but The Secret Life of Walter Mitty fails to back up its grand designs with enough substance to anchor the spectacle.

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Critics Reviews

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Jason Bailey Flavorwire 06/19/2016
With such high aims, it's too bad that 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' falls somewhat short of greatness. But it's not often that you come across a "big" movie as earnest and patently un-cynical as this one. Go to Full Review
Dana Stevens Slate 01/01/2014
Stiller's attempt to braid together introspection and humor kept me engaged and curious, even when I wasn't quite sure what he was setting out to do. Go to Full Review
Donald Clarke Irish Times 01/01/2014
3/5
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty probably succeeds on its own terms. Given the elusive nature of those terms, it is, however, hard to tell for certain. Go to Full Review
Emiliano Basile EscribiendoCine 12/11/2023
7/10
While not genial, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty recaptures the charm of hopeful stories by giving a comedy twist... [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Wael Khairy The Cairo Scene 09/23/2022
I admire the film’s originality, and the thought-provoking twist ending, but daydream of a deeper director’s cut. Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 08/19/2022
1.5/4
Less about Walter Mitty’s secret life than his actual, perfectly romantic, impossibly realized adventures, the film loses itself in a fantasy world all its own and never fully embraces the everyday balance of reality and imagination. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Justin S. @hoostawn 4d This movie doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat, but that is exactly what is wonderful about it. It has a vibe that is normal and heartfelt which really is what makes it so brilliant. Beautiful film. See more Manny M @TaxTheMoon Dec 11 The loveliest movie I have ever watced in my entire Life <3 See more Zoe B Nov 30 I was so genuinely shocked that this movie had me captivated. Put my phone down and was engrossed. Quite poignant, even though comedy. Well worth the watch. See more Sebas B Nov 20 Al inicio la historia se hace un poco tediosa, pero luego se vuelve bastante entretenida y tiene un final bastante bueno. See more Meri S. @mschroeder Nov 15 I adored this feel good movie. Great cast and cinematography. See more alan G. @agenser Nov 11 Pales in comparison to the Danny Kaye movie. Ben Stiller should not be allowed to make movies. Nepo baby. See more Read all reviews
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

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Movie Info

Synopsis Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller), an employee at Life magazine, spends day after monotonous day developing photos for the publication. To escape the tedium, Walter inhabits a world of exciting daydreams in which he is the undeniable hero. Walter fancies a fellow employee named Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) and would love to date her, but he feels unworthy. However, he gets a chance to have a real adventure when Life's new owners send him on a mission to obtain the perfect photo for the final print issue.
Director
Ben Stiller
Producer
Samuel Goldwyn Jr., John Goldwyn, Stuart Cornfeld, Ben Stiller
Screenwriter
Steve Conrad
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Red Hour Productions, Samuel Goldwyn Films
Rating
PG (Language|Action/Violence|Some Crude Comments)
Genre
Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 30, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$58.2M
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Datasat, Dolby
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