Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Play trailer Poster for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty PG 2013 1h 54m Comedy Adventure Fantasy Action Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
52% Tomatometer 194 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 Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

What to Know

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

Critics Reviews

View More
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
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
Kip Mooney College Movie Review 09/17/2021
B
A frequently inspiring little film, one thrillingly devoid of any cynicism. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Jason H @RT39828083 6d For those that dream of a life of adventure and creating memories, a life that steps off the standard path and to chase a life to be proud of, this movie is a must watch. Simply inspirational. How people are giving this incredible movie negative reviews says more about them as a person than the movie itself. See more Jimmy P @57RESS Jul 9 For all human beings, summed up into a beautiful movie. Makes me want to do more. Amazing See more Thomas E @thomas.s Jul 7 This movie is MAJESTIC. I adore the symbolism in it. I think the people who don’t like it unfortunately don’t understand the true meaning and emotion of this movie which is okay, but if you can see/think deeper, and beyond surface level this film is beautiful See more Chris S @Janomi Jul 7 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is at its best when Ben Stiller treats Walter with sincerity instead of broad comedy. His direction gives the film a gentle, heartfelt tone, making Walter feel lonely, imaginative, and quietly dissatisfied rather than just quirky. The movie’s biggest pleasure is its sense of visual wonder. Greenland, Iceland, the Himalayas, the ocean, and wide-open landscapes give Walter’s journey a dreamy, inspirational quality. The soundtrack, especially songs like "Step Out" and "Space Oddity," adds to the adventurous, romantic, slightly melancholy mood. The message is simple but effective: stop hiding in fantasies and take real chances. The inspirational tone can push a little too hard, and the film loses some comic imagination once the daydreams fade. Still, it is good, visually beautiful, and more heartfelt than expected. See more Av A @Avalava Jul 2 This Movie represents everything I want in an inspirational movie experience. It’s starts of as a oretty ordinary story and then evolves into a lecture about life, different experiences and how to do what you truly want. It’s about going out of your shell and experiencing everything in life without thinking about it tooo much. After watching the movie I had the strong desire to live my life, enjoy every moment and rate this film 10000 out of 5 stars on rotten Tomatoes. Go watch it and let it inspire you! See more Kevin L @Kevthelaw Jun 22 One of my all time favorites. I watch it on basically a yearly basis. Beautiful cinematography, a feel good story, and thankfully has almost nothing to do with the book. See more Read all reviews
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
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

Movie Info

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, Action, Drama
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