Walter Mitty is an unknown man who develops film in the basement of Life magazine and only daydreams of achieving brave things. He has his world turned upside down with the disappearance of the final cover issue photo from adventurer and nature photographer Sean O’Connell. Mitty struggles to figure out the clues to O’Connell’s whereabouts and finds help in his coworker/ crush Cheryl Melholff. They together track down O’Connell’s last known coordinates, Greenland. With the impending doom of the last issue and major cut backs Mitty choses to leave his passive world of spacing in and out of reality to venture out in unknown Greenland to find O’Connell and his lost picture. Mitty continues his search of O’Connell around the world and his journey becomes more than a pursuit of O’Connell to save his job or reputation, but a chance to finally experience the world the way he always dreamed to.

“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”

This quote is the major theme of the movie and inspires Mitty to live adventurously and pursue his dreams. Contrary to many other movies his love interest Sheryl, while a major fantasy, is not his greatest achievement but rather his personal growth and exploration of the world. This focus of the plot gives the story a deeper meaning that audience members can walk away with.

With beautiful scenery and artsy production, the Secret Life of Walter Mitty has the intricate details of a low budget movie with the twists and talented actors of a Hollywood film. Because of Walter Mitty’s often spacing from reality sometimes the audience is not sure which scenes are real and which are just his imagination. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has not only a thought provoking plot, but a touching twist ending that implants the idea of honoring the efforts of the little man, going out and exploring the unknown, and striving for desires even when frightened.