Finding the Unexpected in the Unexpected

The adventure comedy, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, follows the story of a man named Walter Mitty, who often daydreams, imagining a world of heroism and bravery. Mitty works as a negative assets manager for Time Magazine. He also has a crush on one of his coworkers, named Cheryl. Time Magazine is currently downsizing to a solely internet platform, and so Mitty is in charge of laying out the final photographs for the final print issue of the magazine. Sean O’Connell, a photographer for the magazine suggests that a certain photograph be the cover of the final issue, however the negative is missing. Thus, Mitty embarks on an adventure around the world in search of Sean O’Connell to find the missing negative. Through Mitty’s travels, the viewers learning about the importance between life and seeking adventure.

The movie as a whole mimics the traditional idea of the comedic genre, but with a more modern twist. Due to Mitty’s frequent daydreams, he often spaces out, and so is regarded as sometimes awkward by his co-workers. This aspect of Mitty’s character is highlighted by frequent phone calls from an eHarmony consultant who tries to help find Mitty a match. Therefore, Mitty can be seen as a character who starts at a lower level. As he pursues his adventure around the world, however, Mitty begins to gain more confidence. Much of this confidence is also based in his love for Cheryl, another important element in a traditional comedy. In the end, Mitty finally is able to begin a relationship with Cheryl. There are also various moments of situational irony in the movie, especially concerning the location of the missing negative. After Mitty travels from Greenland to Iceland and finally to the Himalayas, he finds out that O’Connell does not have the negative and it was actually inside of a wallet that Mitty had earlier thrown away.

Using humor and moments of irony, the movie sheds light on the human need or want for excitement, bravery and the unexpected. Mitty leads a very regular life and yet he yearns for some sort of adventure from the mundane. Through Mitty’s attempts to locate the missing negative, the movie demonstrates that oftentimes the unexpected can come from the most unexpected places. Furthermore, through the comparison between Mitty’s daydreams and his actual adventure, it becomes clear that adventure, while it may be difficult to begin, is not that difficult to encounter. Essentially, the movie exemplifies how we can find adventure in our own lives, even when it seems completely out of reach.