The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
What has been levelled at this film, in the press, is the fact that there's product placement and the fact that the character, once choosing to engage with life, undergoes crazy, dangerous and reckless feats with seemingly little or no psychological repercussion.
Some of that is true and I at least see where it's coming from, although I would argue that the product placement in the movie is the ok kind, the real kind. For example there IS a website called EHarmony on which single people date and people do eat Papa John's pizzas (presumably) and if you're setting a film in the world in which we currently live it's not unreasonable to expect characters might interact with products, restaurants or websites much like we do every day. I'd rather that than changing names to DaddyJoe's Pizza or ECompatibility or something. The bad kind of product placement is when characters casually drop names of products into conversations like 'It's an Omega actually' with it having no bearing on the plot, like an advert on the TV (James Bond Casino Royale).
The other point that Walter Mitty is surprisingly brave, all of a sudden, for a middle aged schlub, once the plot demands it of him, is slightly true but, to be honest, it is done in such a charming way, to the strains of Kristen Wiig giving a kick ass, inspirational rendition of David Bowie's Space Oddity and you are so rooting for him, at the point it happens in the film, that you go along with it. Anything more drawn out or believable would stop the incredible, exuberant and brilliant pacing of this film. Well, it didn't bother me anyway.
You, as an audience member, are meant to be inspired by Mitty's seemingly over-the-top, exciting and probably expensive, real experiences in the same way Mitty is inspired by the fantasy life he has earlier in the movie. Watch it like that and it's better.
All that being said, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is the best film Ben Stiller has ever made as a director. Are Tropic Thunder, Zoolander and The Cable Guy much funnier? yes, of course, Walter Mitty is not strictly just a comedy but in terms of juggling multiple themes and multiple styles, while telling an engaging and fun story and making it look incredible and beautiful? THIS is his best work to date.
Also people worried that it might be too soppy, or too simplistic, too overly sentimental or too silly... it's, thankfully, none of those things. It's a surprising, fun, entertaining, enjoyable comedy drama with wonderful fantasy elements and lots of sweetness and surprise. Kristen Wiig is also an unparalleled delight, proving herself, again to be more than just a fantastic comedienne but an actress to watch and respect.
Turn off your cynical or ironic glands, relax and get carried away watching this enchanting, midlife-crisis-as-a-fairytale movie.
8 out of 10
Starsky & Hutch - 21st December 2010
I can't honestly say I have ever sat through an episode of the original Starsky and Hutch so I can't compare anything in this with the original, which is probably a blessing because obviously I realise this is a highly comic interpretation of the original show and that means I can just sit back and laugh much in the way we all did with Dragnet back in the 80s, obviously this films closest predecessor.
This film came out just as this particular group of comedians were beginning to establish themselves as a successful group, later dubbed the frat pack, in a very similar vein as the post SNL group of Murray, Aykroyd, Candy and Martin did in the 1980s. There have been hits, misses, attempts at different genres, off the wall masterpieces discovered on DVD like Zoolander and Anchorman and serious turns in naval gazing indies like Stranger than Fiction and Greenberg. Each individual, also, has seemingly gone on to have big, multi-million dollar summer and winter blockbuster movies which may have made them very rich but has not necessarily kept them fresh or funny.
Starsky and Hutch which stars Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, with turns from Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman and Will Ferrell, although barely mentioned anymore (much like Dragnet) is amongst the early funny ones of this group and stands up surprisingly well a few years down the line. It has its weak spots (the cocaine/ dance off scene goes on way too long and has an unsatisfying pay off) but mostly it is a series of ludicrous sketches strung together under the banner of buddy cop comedy.
Stiller and Wilson are at their best playing absurdly stupid yet confident people in ridiculous situations and the way the film is set up, much like Zoolander, it allows both actors to play to their strengths with Stiller being the real genius of the pair, there is something about his ernest leaping about and attempts to be threatening that are just brilliant.
There is not much to say about the film really as it scarcely matters whether the plot holds up or if the acting is top notch, what matters is if it's funny and while it is certainly not as inventive or bonkers as Zoolander or Anchorman, for example, it does have several legitimately laugh out-loud moments, even if a lot of the gags and set-ups are heavily reminiscent of scenes we've seen before in previous comedies.
It's a great touch to have Fred Williamson as the enraged seventies police captain and Snoop Dog is not above donning a silly wig and doing ridiculous scenes with the rest of them.
A fairly good and jolly way to pass the afternoon if needs be.
6.5 out of 10 prancing dragons
Points from the wife 5 out of 10