Ben Stiller seems to have learned a lot from his time working with Wes Anderson. The trailer for THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY took me by surprise with it's surreal tone and heartfelt nature. I was frankly shocked that the same guy who directed TROPIC THUNDER, THE CABLE GUY, and REALITY BITES. There is a major growth here from Stiller the director to potentially Stiller the auteur.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY is a remake of the 1947 film that follows a timid magazine photo manager who lives life vicariously through daydreams embarks on a true-life adventure when a negative goes missing. This new version seems to take a much different tone than the Danny Kaye original and seems to be angling for consideration during Oscar nomination season.
These posters capture the bizarre nature of the trailer while also highlighting the innocence of Stiller's portrayal of Walter Mitty. I get elements of Spike Jonze, Wes Anderson, and Michel Gondry from this images and the trailer itself. That is pretty damn good company to be in. I just hope this movie is not style over substance. The cast is straight out of a Will Ferrell movie but all of the performers have the talent to make this one of the best films of the Fall.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY also stars Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Sean Penn, Kathryn Hahn, Shirley MacLaine, and Patton Oswalt. It opens everywhere on Christmas Day.
