Review of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) by Jeff L — 18 Jan 2009

They don't make 'em like they used to. The story follows Walter Mitty who leads a mundane life only to create fantastical stories out of everyday occurrences to escape it. He has an overbearing mother, future mother-in-law, fiance and boss. Sounds fun. Mitty played by the incomparable Danny Kaye, goes through life imagining that he is the captain of a ship guiding it through a storm, or a WWII pilot shooting down Nazi after Nazi, a surgeon who is called in to save a life when no one else can, well you get the picture.

I remember reading this short story in eighth grade and every time I have gotten in verbal fights with girlfriends over the years I have used the line "I feel like Walter Mitty" to their stunned response of "who?" Meaning I feel like I am beaten up and they are the overbearing woman in my life. Mitty is the ultimate martyr, besides say Joan of Ark, however he is obviously creative enough and smart enough to pull himself up and out of this mundane life and create larger than life stories in his real life.

This is a fun, well acted story with little song and dance numbers from Kaye, that you would really never find anymore, unless Jack Black was doing some sort of mocked out, rocked out School of Rock sort of thing. Think of this movie as the original BIG FISH, just not as boring.