The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

As an actor, Ben Stiller tends to lack subtlety, and as a director, Stiller tends to lack restraint. Although he has demonstrated talent throughout his career on both sides of the camera, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty tends to emphasize those drawbacks.

There’s a heartfelt core to this contemporary reworking of the venerable James Thurber short story that makes it easier to give Stiller the benefit of the doubt in something that could have easily turned into a shameless vanity project. Yet too often its easygoing charm is scuttled by strained efforts to be life-affirming and profound.

The screenplay by Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness) sets the story in a modern publishing industry that is at a crossroads, portraying Walter as a photo archivist at Life magazine as it prepares to print its last issue before an effort to transition online led by a ruthless executive (Adam Scott) from the magazine’s new parent company.

The neurotic and socially awkward Walter makes a poor impression with the new boss with his tendency to lapse into daydreams in which he fantasizes about himself as a superhero to escape the mundane isolation of his everyday life. Yet his work is respected to the point where his last assignment is to prepare the pivotal cover image for the final issue.

But mysteriously the photo is misplaced, leading Walter on a global quest to retrieve it from the enigmatic photographer (Sean Penn). The resulting journey of self-discovery is both physical and psychological as work becomes secondary to personal fulfillment.

The film is uneven and episodic by nature, with some awkward transitions between fantasy and reality, showcasing everything from broad comedy to effects-driven action sequences to lighthearted romance involving a sympathetic co-worker (Kristen Wiig).

That playfulness is a better fit for Stiller’s versatility than the flimsy mystery and the soul-searching voyage that bogs down the second half of the film. Those not willing to completely buy into its concept will find the story logic fundamentally flawed.

Setting the material in a high-tech world of online dating and corporate downsizing is an ambitious idea with some amusing quirks that ultimately is emotionally distant. As it turns out, the secret life of Walter Mitty is more interesting than the real one.

Rated PG, 114 minutes.