The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Play trailer

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

PG

2013

1h 54m

Comedy

Adventure

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

52%

Tomatometer

195 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller), an employee at Life magazine, spends day after monotonous day developing photos for the publication. To escape the tedium, Walter inhabits a world of exciting daydreams in which he is the undeniable hero. Walter fancies a fellow employee named Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) and would love to date her, but he feels unworthy. However, he gets a chance to have a real adventure when Life's new owners send him on a mission to obtain the perfect photo for the final print issue.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

It doesn't lack for ambition, but The Secret Life of Walter Mitty fails to back up its grand designs with enough substance to anchor the spectacle.

Read Critics Reviews

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

06/19/2016

With such high aims, it's too bad that 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' falls somewhat short of greatness. But it's not often that you come across a "big" movie as earnest and patently un-cynical as this one.

Go to Full Review

Dana Stevens

Slate

01/01/2014

Stiller's attempt to braid together introspection and humor kept me engaged and curious, even when I wasn't quite sure what he was setting out to do.

Go to Full Review

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

01/01/2014

3/5

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty probably succeeds on its own terms. Given the elusive nature of those terms, it is, however, hard to tell for certain.

Go to Full Review

Emiliano Basile

EscribiendoCine

12/11/2023

7/10

While not genial, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty recaptures the charm of hopeful stories by giving a comedy twist... [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Wael Khairy

The Cairo Scene

09/23/2022

I admire the film’s originality, and the thought-provoking twist ending, but daydream of a deeper director’s cut.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

08/19/2022

1.5/4

Less about Walter Mitty’s secret life than his actual, perfectly romantic, impossibly realized adventures, the film loses itself in a fantasy world all its own and never fully embraces the everyday balance of reality and imagination.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

@Anette Jan 25

Love this film! It's really quirky, sweet and funny, with subtle humour, beautiful scenery, cool music and great characters. Great to watch in the evening with a bottle of wine, or on a chill Sunday afternoon.

See more

Andrés Z

@Elguardianrena Jan 24

Esta película es excelente

See more

David

@blackjackhorses Jan 22

memorable every scene

See more

Gulie

@Gulie Jan 21

Absolutely wonderful. Loved this movie. I rewatched it too many times now lol

See more

karen p

@Mitty.fan Jan 1

This is our favorite movie of all time. We watch it every New Year’s Eve. The soundtrack, the cast, the dialog could not be better chosen or timed. I catch something new every time we watch. We introduced this to our 11 year old granddaughter this new years and she laughed and loved it- a new fan!

See more

Justin S.

@hoostawn Dec 20

This movie doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat, but that is exactly what is wonderful about it. It has a vibe that is normal and heartfelt which really is what makes it so brilliant. Beautiful film.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Ben Stiller

Director

Ben Stiller

Walter Mitty

Kristen Wiig

Cheryl

Shirley MacLaine

Edna

Adam Scott

Ted Hendricks

Kathryn Hahn

Odessa

Goosebumps

78%

62%

Goosebumps

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Goosebumps

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

40%

53%

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Watchlist

Roald Dahl's The Witches

50%

32%

Roald Dahl's The Witches

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Roald Dahl's The Witches

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

48%

57%

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

Phantom Boy

88%

72%

Phantom Boy

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Phantom Boy

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Parental Guidance: Bears, Transcendence, Plus The Nut Job and more

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Walter Mitty, Ride Along, and More

Now Streaming: Ride Along and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

View more photos

Synopsis

Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller), an employee at Life magazine, spends day after monotonous day developing photos for the publication. To escape the tedium, Walter inhabits a world of exciting daydreams in which he is the undeniable hero. Walter fancies a fellow employee named Cheryl (Kristen Wiig) and would love to date her, but he feels unworthy. However, he gets a chance to have a real adventure when Life's new owners send him on a mission to obtain the perfect photo for the final print issue.

Director: Ben Stiller
Producer: Samuel Goldwyn Jr., John Goldwyn, Stuart Cornfeld, Ben Stiller
Screenwriter: Steve Conrad
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Red Hour Productions, Samuel Goldwyn Films
Rating: PG (Language|Action/Violence|Some Crude Comments)
Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 30, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $58.2M
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby

Most Popular at Home Now