First trailer for Ben Stiller’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a whimsical affair

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Well, this is a surprise. I really didn’t expect that Ben Stiller‘s THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY would be anything to get excited about, but after seeing this new whimsical, minimalist trailer, I’m intrigued as hell. I’ve never seen the 1947 film of the same name starring Danny Kaye, nor have I read the original short story by James Thurber (written in 1939), but the concept seems perfectly timeless in that it captures the “escapist” mentality of those who daydream of a better, more exciting life. Co-starring Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn, and Patton Oswalt, this looks much more FOREST GUMP than ZOOLANDER, which could work out quite well for Mr. Stiller.

Take a look:

Here’s the synopsis:

A timid magazine photo manager who lives life vicariously through daydreams embarks on a true-life adventure when a negative goes missing.

With Of Monsters and Men’s “Dirty Paws” playing under it, the trailer feels like a nostalgic music video more than anything, which is pretty cool and a fun marketing move. We’ve all seen Stiller’s anxious schtick time and again, which will likely still be present to an extent in this film, but thankfully they’ve focused on the journey of the film for this, rather than putting the spotlight on Stiller’s antics. I’m officially down. Can’t wait to see more.

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY opens on December 25, 2013.