Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues: Super-Sized R-Rated Version (2013)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No major reveals.**

Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and Veronica Conrningstone (Christina Applegate) are working together as a happy married couple. Together, they work as co-anchors for a first-rate news station in New York City, but an unexpected meeting complicates their relationship.

As the man in charge at the network, Mack Tannen (Harrison Ford) decides to promote Veronica to an unprecedented position as the first female anchor on the nightly news. On the other hand, Ron was expecting a retirement announcement from Mack, but Tannen fires Ron. After the meeting, Ron gives Veronica an ultimatum: Veronica refuses Mack Tannen’s job offer out of respect to Ron, or Ron promises to leave Veronica, and their son, Walter (Judah Nelson) without looking back. Veronica ignores  Ron’s request, so Ron abandons Veronica and Walter.

Six months later, Ron relocates to San Diego again. Ron embarrasses himself during a drunken fit at his new job for the local oceanarium, and the manager fires Ron. Ron tries to commit suicide after the incident, but Freddie Shapp (Dylan Baker) approaches Ron with an irresistible offer. Freddie is an employee for GNN, a revolutionary twenty-four hour news network, and Freddie wants to hire Ron as an anchorman. Ron accepts the offer under one non-negotiable condition: Ron has the right to assemble his own hand picked news team with no questions asked. Freddie agrees to Ron’s terms, and Ron accepts the offer.

After a lengthy search mission, Ron convinces Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), and Champ Kind (David Koechner) to join him at GNN. But Ron and his team run into a series of a hurdles at GNN. Ron is stuck in a rivalry with a hot-shot anchorman named Jack Lime (James Marsden), and Ron complicates the working relationship with his new boss, Linda Jackson (Meagan Good).

To make matters worse, Veronica’s in a comfortable relationship with a psychiatrist named Gary (Greg Kinnear). And to add to his growing list of problems, Ron’s team is stuck on the graveyard shift, and a distracted Brick is falling in love with Chani Lastname (Kristen Wiig), a GNN secretary.

But Ron devises a scheme to beat Jack Lime’s ratings on the primetime edition of GNN. Burgundy plans to broadcast mindless stories (random car chases, homerun highlight reels, etc.) as a ploy to spike the ratings. Ron’s plan is a success, but he’ll have to choose between a trusted friend and Kench Allenby (Josh Lawson), the slimy owner of GNN, in a moral dilemma that could change the course of GNN forever. Ron’s plate is full, as he struggles with blindness, repairing his relationship with Veronica and Walter, and the troubles of raising a pet shark.

Will Ferrell delivers another entertaining and hilarious performance as the delusional blowhard with a massive ego. Koechner, Carell, and Rudd provide their fair share of laughs, and Wiig is a nice fit in the role for Brick’s female counterpart. Meagan Good is my pick for the standout star from the supporting cast of new additions. Good takes control of Linda, as the sassy and aggressive foxy lady, who’s in charge. And Marsden is solid, as the obnoxious pretty boy with a snobbish superiority complex.

It’s hard to keep track of all the sub-plots for the sequel. Ron’s blindness, Ron exiling himself to a lighthouse with Veronica and Walter, Ron’s feud with Jack, Ron’s romantic relationship with Linda during the split with Veronica, Ron raising a shark as a pet at the lighthouse, and the love story between Brick and Chani.

It’s not an easy choice, but Ron and Linda’s relationship is my pick for the best sub-plot. At first, a sexist Ron dismisses Linda as his boss, and Linda intimidates Ron. But after the ratings spike with Ron’s crew, Linda pursues Ron. Ron fights off Linda at first, but Ron succumbs to Linda‘s advances in the end. There’s a dinner table scene, where Linda introduces Ron to her family, and all hell breaks loose after a series of racial insults from Ron. Watching the chaos during the dinner unfold is a real treat. Ron crosses so many inappropriate lines, and he’ll surprise you with every outburst in a jaw dropping back and forth duel of racial insults with Linda’s family.

I enjoyed the Super-Sized R-Rated Version, but I’ll throw out a fair warning, this version of Anchorman is NOT for everyone. The runtime clocks in at 2hrs. & 33min., this new version features 763 new jokes, and you‘ll hear a few f-bombs.

So I’m telling you right now, if you’re indifferent to Anchorman, or if you’re on the fence about the sequel, this version is not for you, and it’s that simple, because there’s a good chance you’ll remember the Super-Sized Version as an overlong, tiresome, and bloated comedy. Me? I loved every second of this one week only special. It’s a riot from start to finish, and I can honestly say I laughed all the way through until the credits started rolling at the end.

I only have one complaint about The Legend Continues: The teased feud between Veronica and Linda. Remember that scene in the trailers, where Linda and Veronica exchange insults? Well, that’s all you’ll see for a feud here. It’s a shame, because the love triangle feud between Ron (with Ron playing the role of an instigator) had some real potential. But Anchorman is LOADED with sub-plots, so you’re taking an unnecessary chance of creating a big mess with a full blown Veronica VS Linda feud.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues takes the top spot for the best comedy in 2013. The absurd lunacy is still whacky and over the top, and The Legend Continues delivers consistent laughs with some help from a top notch cast. And the cameos during the big battle at the end are mind-blowing. It’s one big surprise after another, and the barrage of celebrity appearances are guaranteed to pull more than one “Wow!” reaction out of you.

If you read my reviews on here, you’ll know I’m against unnecessary or cash grab sequels. Is The Legend Continues the end of the line film for the Anchorman franchise? Well, I’m hoping the answer to this question is no, but director/co-writer Adam McKay drove the nail into the coffin with a recent interview. His response to a Part III in a recent interview? “It’s done.” Usually, I’m against more sequels, but if there’s a good chance of keeping the core cast together, with some cameos from the past, then I don’t see a real sense of urgency for pulling the plug to preserve Anchorman’s legacy (no pun intended).

Yeah, I know you’re taking a risk of damaging Anchorman’s reputation  with another sequel, and the critical success rate for number threes (Return Of The Jedi, and….) raises a few red flags, but there’s a lot of gas left in the tank for Anchorman. I’m not the only one, who noticed Brian’s “breaking the fourth wall” moment at the end, right? Ron and everyone else express their concerns for the future of the news team, and Rudd gives a brief explanation about box office profits. Brian reminds everyone about the sequel’s success at the box office playing a major role in the production of a sequel.

Are Brian’s words food for thought? Am I reading too much into this scene after McKay seemingly drove the nail into the coffin with his interview? Perhaps, but think about like this, The Legend Continues enjoyed a successful box office run, and I like to keep a “never say never” or “time will tell” mindset  for sequels. Die hard Anchorman fans will have to wait and see as the years pass, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Ron Burgundy return to the big screen.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues: Super-Sized R-Rated Version (2013)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and Veronica Conrningstone (Christina Applegate) are working together as a happy married couple. Together, they work as co-anchors for a first-rate news station in New York City, but an unexpected meeting complicates their relationship.

As the man in charge at the network, Mack Tannen (Harrison Ford) decides to promote Veronica to an unprecedented position as the first female anchor on the nightly news. On the other hand, Ron was expecting a retirement announcement from Mack, but Tannen fires Ron. After the meeting, Ron gives Veronica an ultimatum: Veronica refuses Mack Tannen’s job offer out of respect to Ron, or Ron promises to leave Veronica, and their son, Walter (Judah Nelson) without looking back. Veronica ignores  Ron’s request, so Ron abandons Veronica and Walter.

Six months later, Ron relocates to San Diego again. Ron embarrasses himself during a drunken fit at his new job for the local oceanarium, and the manager fires Ron. Ron tries to commit suicide after the incident, but Freddie Shapp (Dylan Baker) approaches Ron with an irresistible offer. Freddie is an employee for GNN, a revolutionary twenty-four hour news network, and Freddie wants to hire Ron as an anchorman. Ron accepts the offer under one non-negotiable condition: Ron has the right to assemble his own hand picked news team with no questions asked. Freddie agrees to Ron’s terms, and Ron accepts the offer.

After a lengthy search mission, Ron convinces Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), and Champ Kind (David Koechner) to join him at GNN. But Ron and his team run into a series of a hurdles at GNN. Ron is stuck in a rivalry with a hot-shot anchorman named Jack Lime (James Marsden), and Ron complicates the working relationship with his new boss, Linda Jackson (Meagan Good).

To make matters worse, Veronica’s in a comfortable relationship with a psychiatrist named Gary (Greg Kinnear). And to add to his growing list of problems, Ron’s team is stuck on the graveyard shift, and a distracted Brick is falling in love with Chani Lastname (Kristen Wiig), a GNN secretary.

But Ron devises a scheme to beat Jack Lime’s ratings on the primetime edition of GNN. Burgundy plans to broadcast mindless stories (random car chases, homerun highlight reels, etc.) as a ploy to spike the ratings. Ron’s plan is a success, but he’ll have to choose between a trusted friend and Kench Allenby (Josh Lawson), the slimy owner of GNN, in a moral dilemma that could change the course of GNN forever. Ron’s plate is full, as he struggles with blindness, repairing his relationship with Veronica and Walter, and the troubles of raising a pet shark.

Will Ferrell delivers another entertaining and hilarious performance as the delusional blowhard with a massive ego. Koechner, Carell, and Rudd provide their fair share of laughs, and Wiig is a nice fit in the role for Brick’s female counterpart. Meagan Good is my pick for the standout star from the supporting cast of new additions. Good takes control of Linda, as the sassy and aggressive foxy lady, who’s in charge. And Marsden is solid, as the obnoxious pretty boy with a snobbish superiority complex.

It’s hard to keep track of all the sub-plots for the sequel. Ron’s blindness, Ron exiling himself to a lighthouse with Veronica and Walter, Ron’s feud with Jack, Ron’s romantic relationship with Linda during the split with Veronica, Ron raising a shark as a pet at the lighthouse, and the love story between Brick and Chani.

It’s not an easy choice, but Ron and Linda’s relationship is my pick for the best sub-plot. At first, a sexist Ron dismisses Linda as his boss, and Linda intimidates Ron. But after the ratings spike with Ron’s crew, Linda pursues Ron. Ron fights off Linda at first, but Ron succumbs to Linda‘s advances in the end. There’s a dinner table scene, where Linda introduces Ron to her family, and all hell breaks loose after a series of racial insults from Ron. Watching the chaos during the dinner unfold is a real treat. Ron crosses so many inappropriate lines, and he’ll surprise you with every outburst in a jaw dropping back and forth duel of racial insults with Linda’s family.

The cameos during the big battle between all the news teams during the finale? Incredible. It’s the only word to describe the fiasco. Ron has a change of heart, and he quits GNN to catch Walter’s recital. During Ron’s frantic journey to the recital, Jack Lime (with his team) confronts Ron in a park. Jack wants to put an end to Ron, because he destroyed his career, but Ron’s team pops up out of nowhere to help their buddy.

But it’s not over yet. News teams from all over the US and around the world interrupt the personal feud between Jack and Ron to start a war between all the news teams. Take a look at this list of cameos for the big fight:

Will Smith
Marion Cotillard
Jim Carrey
Kirsten Dunst
Sacha Baron Cohen
Tina Fey
Liam Neeson
John C. Reilly (as Stonewall Jackson’s ghost)
Amy Poehler
Kanye West
Vince Vaughn

On top of all that, Harrison Ford transforms into werehyena to join the fight, a minotaur pops up, and Gary lends a helping hand for Ron with his telekinetic powers (earlier in the movie, Ron accused Gary of having psychic powers). Oh, and Drake has a small cameo at the very beginning. Ron and Veronica are still together, and Drake compliments Veronica’s figure.

I enjoyed the Super-Sized R-Rated Version, but I’ll throw out a fair warning, this version of Anchorman is NOT for everyone. The runtime clocks in at 2hrs. & 33min., this new version features 763 new jokes, and you‘ll hear a few f-bombs.

So I’m telling you right now, if you’re indifferent to Anchorman, or if you’re on the fence about the sequel, this version is not for you, and it’s that simple, because there’s a good chance you’ll remember the Super-Sized Version as an overlong, tiresome, and bloated comedy. Me? I loved every second of this one week only special. It’s a riot from start to finish, and I can honestly say I laughed all the way through until the credits started rolling at the end.

And speaking of the ending, there’s a noticeable change in the Super Sized R-Rated Version. You won’t see the battle between Ron and the pet shark at the end. Instead, they end the movie after Brick and Chani’s wedding on the beach, and for the closing shot, you’ll see Chani and Brick running towards the camera. Also, they actually show the beatdown during the dinner with Linda's family in the Super Sized film. They only show the aftermath with a battered  Ron in the back of a taxi with Linda in the original version.

I only have one complaint about The Legend Continues: The teased feud between Veronica and Linda. Remember that scene in the trailers, where Linda and Veronica exchange insults? Well, that’s all you’ll see for a feud here. It’s a shame, because the love triangle feud between Ron (with Ron playing the role of an instigator) had some real potential. But Anchorman is LOADED with sub-plots, so you’re taking an unnecessary chance of creating a big mess with a full blown Veronica VS Linda feud.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues takes the top spot for the best comedy in 2013. The absurd lunacy is still whacky and over the top, and The Legend Continues delivers consistent laughs with some help from a top notch cast. And the cameos during the big battle at the end are mind-blowing. It’s one big surprise after another, and the barrage of celebrity appearances are guaranteed to pull more than one “Wow!” reaction out of you.

If you read my reviews on here, you’ll know I’m against unnecessary or cash grab sequels. Is The Legend Continues the end of the line film for the Anchorman franchise? Well, I’m hoping the answer to this question is no, but director/co-writer Adam McKay drove the nail into the coffin with a recent interview. His response to a Part III in a recent interview? “It’s done.” Usually, I’m against more sequels, but if there’s a good chance of keeping the core cast together, with some cameos from the past, then I don’t see a real sense of urgency for pulling the plug to preserve Anchorman’s legacy (no pun intended).

Yeah, I know you’re taking a risk of damaging Anchorman’s reputation  with another sequel, and the critical success rate for number threes (Return Of The Jedi, and….) raises a few red flags, but there’s a lot of gas left in the tank for Anchorman. I’m not the only one, who noticed Brian’s “breaking the fourth wall” moment at the end, right? Ron and everyone else express their concerns for the future of the news team, and Rudd gives a brief explanation about box office profits. Brian reminds everyone about the sequel’s success at the box office playing a major role in the production of a sequel.

Are Brian’s words food for thought? Am I reading too much into this scene after McKay seemingly drove the nail into the coffin with his interview? Perhaps, but think about like this, The Legend Continues enjoyed a successful box office run, and I like to keep a “never say never” or “time will tell” mindset  for sequels. Die hard Anchorman fans will have to wait and see as the years pass, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Ron Burgundy return to the big screen.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No major reveals or plot twists**

Life magazine prepares to publish its final issue, and Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) is looking for the perfect cover photo. As the negative assets department manager, Walter works on the final issue with his trusted co-worker, Hernando (Adrian Martinez), and Walter receives intense pressure from the new manager, Ted Hendricks (Adam Scott). Ted takes control of Life’s transition to an online publication, and Walter takes the number one spot as Ted’s target for taunting.

Walter shares a trusted relationship with Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn), a talented and reclusive photojournalist. Sean sends Walter a roll of film with a wallet as a birthday present. In the roll of film, Sean includes his hand-picked choice for Life’s last cover photo, but Walter notices a glaring omission on Sean’s roll. Sean selected “negative 25” for Life’s final cover photo, but negative 25 is missing.

Meanwhile, Walter is trying to help his elderly mother with her moving arrangements. Edna Mitty (Shirley MacLaine) needs the right amount of space for her grand piano, and Walter’s  loopy sister, Odessa (Kathryn Hahn) is more concerned with her performance in an upcoming play. On top of that, Walter is using eHarmony to break the ice for a long time crush on one of his co-workers. Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wiig) is a single mother with a son named Rich (Marcus Antturi), but Walter is too shy and terrified to start a conversation with her.

Motivated by a newfound sense of adventure, Walter embarks on a mission across the globe to find Sean O’Connell and negative 25. Walter tries to balance three missions at once during his journey. The first mission? When it comes to finding Sean and the negative, failure is not an option, because Walter could lose his job after sixteen years of dedication during a take-no-prisoners downsizing process. The second mission? Walter is determined to break out of his shell, and daily daydreaming phases for the chance to experience a real adventure. And for his grand finale, Walter will throw all of his cards on the table in a last-ditch effort to impress Cheryl.

Ben Stiller stays within his comfort zone as the quirky geek. The whacky stuff is toned down for Walter Mitty, but for the most part, Stiller sticks to his routine here, and Stiller is good for a few laughs. I’m not trying to bash Stiller, because he’s a solid leading man, but I won’t go as far as labeling him the “ideal” candidate for this role, because his performance isn’t memorable or extraordinary.

Kristen Wiig stays within her niche, as the shy and nerdy woman. I said this about Stiller, but Wigg’s wackiness is subdued to suit TSLOWM’s more serious parts. Adam Scott is genuinely despicable, as the snobbish boss with a superiority complex, who enjoys bullying Walter. It’s a shame Kathryn Hahn’s Odessa is limited to sporadic appearances here, because Odessa is hilarious as the delusional  and obnoxious sister.

Sean Penn? O’Connell is a carefree and fearless photojournalist, who will do anything to snap the perfect picture, but it’s not fair to judge Penn’s performance, because his screen time is limited here. And Patton Oswalt portrays, Todd, an eHarmony customer service rep, who develops an obsession for Walter during his journey. Oswald’s “screen time” is limited to phone conversations with Walter, and two physical appearances, so don’t get your hopes up for anything special. 

My biggest pet peeve for The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty? The abuse of product placement. It’s not as bad as the product placement in Michael Bay’s Transformers films (especially the 2007 film), but the constant advertising is still annoying. The list includes JanSport Papa John’s Pizza, eHarmony, Chase, Sony, AND Cinnabon. Papa John’s is the worst case of abuse here, because there’s a backstory for Walter working at Papa John’s as a kid, and Walter visits a Papa John’s restaurant during his journey. Plus, it’s kind of hard to ignore the extra close-up shots for the fresh, gooey Cinnabons. I know some of you will say I’m nitpicking too much, but for the love of all things holy, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty feels like one long commercial at times.

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty constantly plays mind games with the audience, as they’re trying to separate fiction from reality. During his daily routines, Walter goes through a series of “zone out” phases, so he can escape from a mundane reality. In his daydreaming world, Walter envisions himself as a fearless hero, a mountain climber, or someone, who’s willing to fight Ted to the death for a Stretch Armstrong action figure. If Walter needs to escape, he’ll just flip the mental switch, and bam! He jumps into an exciting world of adventure and danger. Of course, you’ll realize everything is just a daydream, when you see Walter jumping into a burning building to rescue Cheryl’s three-legged dog.

The problem with Walter’s dream sequence for a quick and unexpected transition into fantasy is, this trick loses its shock factor after a while, the element of surprise is non-existent, and the set up for Walter’s dream sequences feels repetitive. It’s good for a few laughs at first, but when you see Stiller aging with each passing second to mock The Curious Case Of Benjamin, then you know there’s no chance in hell this is actually happening in the current storylines. And speaking of the Benjamin Button skit, I’m not the only, who couldn’t laugh at it,  right? Call me crazy, but the Benjamin Button skit didn’t fit within Walter Mitty’s context. If we’re talking about a spoof film, then I wouldn‘t have a problem, but TSLOWM is not a spoof film.

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty has some problems, and it’s not a perfect film by a long shot. They were trying to deliver an adventurous and epic fantasy comedy film, but the end result falls short of the intended goal for excellence. As the audience, we’re supposed to be in awe of this ordinary man, who takes a chance on having an extraordinary journey, but Walter’s bold and daring alter ego never reaches that grandiose level of supremacy.

Still, I had a good time with The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty provides enough energetic fun to hold your attention for two hours and five minutes, the laughs are consistent, and you’ll be rooting for Walter Mitty to succeeded in his various missions until the very end.

Rating: 7/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Life magazine prepares to publish its final issue, and Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) is looking for the perfect cover photo. As the negative assets department manager, Walter works on the final issue with his trusted co-worker, Hernando (Adrian Martinez), and Walter receives intense pressure from the new manager, Ted Hendricks (Adam Scott). Ted takes control of Life’s transition to an online publication, and Walter takes the number one spot as Ted’s target for taunting.

Walter shares a trusted relationship with Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn), a talented and reclusive photojournalist. Sean sends Walter a roll of film with a wallet as a birthday present. In the roll of film, Sean includes his hand-picked choice for Life’s last cover photo, but Walter notices a glaring omission on Sean’s roll. Sean selected “negative 25” for Life’s final cover photo, but negative 25 is missing.

Meanwhile, Walter is trying to help his elderly mother with her moving arrangements. Edna Mitty (Shirley MacLaine) needs the right amount of space for her grand piano, and Walter’s  loopy sister, Odessa (Kathryn Hahn) is more concerned with her performance in an upcoming play. On top of that, Walter is using eHarmony to break the ice for a long time crush on one of his co-workers. Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wiig) is a single mother with a son named Rich (Marcus Antturi), but Walter is too shy and terrified to start a conversation with her.

Motivated by a newfound sense of adventure, Walter embarks on a mission across the globe to find Sean O’Connell and negative 25. Walter tries to balance three missions at once during his journey. The first mission? When it comes to finding Sean and the negative, failure is not an option, because Walter could lose his job after sixteen years of dedication during a take-no-prisoners downsizing process. The second mission? Walter is determined to break out of his shell, and daily daydreaming phases for the chance to experience a real adventure. And for his grand finale, Walter will throw all of his cards on the table in a last-ditch effort to impress Cheryl.

Ben Stiller stays within his comfort zone as the quirky geek. The whacky stuff is toned down for Walter Mitty, but for the most part, Stiller sticks to his routine here, and Stiller is good for a few laughs. I’m not trying to bash Stiller, because he’s a solid leading man, but I won’t go as far as labeling him the “ideal” candidate for this role, because his performance isn’t memorable or extraordinary.

Kristen Wiig stays within her niche, as the shy and nerdy woman. I said this about Stiller, but Wigg’s wackiness is subdued to suit TSLOWM’s more serious parts. Adam Scott is genuinely despicable, as the snobbish boss with a superiority complex, who enjoys bullying Walter. It’s a shame Kathryn Hahn’s Odessa is limited to sporadic appearances here, because Odessa is hilarious as the delusional  and obnoxious sister.

Sean Penn? O’Connell is a carefree and fearless photojournalist, who will do anything to snap the perfect picture, but it’s not fair to judge Penn’s performance, because his screen time is limited here. And Patton Oswalt portrays, Todd, an eHarmony customer service rep, who develops an obsession for Walter during his journey. Oswald’s “screen time” is limited to phone conversations with Walter, and two physical appearances, so don’t get your hopes up for anything special. 

My biggest pet peeve for The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty? The abuse of product placement. It’s not as bad as the product placement in Michael Bay’s Transformers films (especially the 2007 film), but the constant advertising is still annoying. The list includes JanSport Papa John’s Pizza, eHarmony, Chase, Sony, AND Cinnabon. Papa John’s is the worst case of abuse here, because there’s a backstory for Walter working at Papa John’s as a kid, and Walter visits a Papa John’s restaurant during his journey. Plus, it’s kind of hard to ignore the extra close-up shots for the fresh, gooey Cinnabons. I know some of you will say I’m nitpicking too much, but for the love of all things holy, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty feels like one long commercial at times.

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty constantly plays mind games with the audience, as they’re trying to separate fiction from reality. During his daily routines, Walter goes through a series of “zone out” phases, so he can escape from a mundane reality. In his daydreaming world, Walter envisions himself as a fearless hero, a mountain climber, or someone, who’s willing to fight Ted to the death for a Stretch Armstrong action figure. If Walter needs to escape, he’ll just flip the mental switch, and bam! He jumps into an exciting world of adventure and danger. Of course, you’ll realize everything is just a daydream, when you see Walter jumping into a burning building to rescue Cheryl’s three-legged dog.

The problem with Walter’s dream sequence for a quick and unexpected transition into fantasy is, this trick loses its shock factor after a while, the element of surprise is non-existent, and the set up for Walter’s dream sequences feels repetitive. It’s good for a few laughs at first, but when you see Stiller aging with each passing second to mock The Curious Case Of Benjamin, then you know there’s no chance in hell this is actually happening in the current storylines. And speaking of the Benjamin Button skit, I’m not the only, who couldn’t laugh at it,  right? Call me crazy, but the Benjamin Button skit didn’t fit within Walter Mitty’s context. If we’re talking about a spoof film, then I wouldn‘t have a problem, but TSLOWM is not a spoof film.

Where’s the photo? Is it in the mountains? Or did Sean drop the photo for Walter in Greenland? Well, negative 25 was right in front of Walter’s eyes the entire time. As as a special gift/surprise, Sean hid the negative in the wallet. Out of frustration and disgust, Walter trashed the wallet, but Edna dug through the trash, so she could save the wallet as a precaution.

Walter failed to meet Ted’s deadline for submitting the photo, so Ted fired Walter. But Walter delivered the negative to Ted at the end, because Walter wanted to give Ted a piece of his mind. For the finale, Walter finds the courage to ask Cheryl out on a date. All this happens after Walter delivered a gift to Rich (a skateboard from Iceland), and during the delivery, Walter mistook the sighting of Cheryl’s ex-husband as a sign of trouble. Cheryl and her husband separated after a divorce, but Walter assumed Cheryl fixed things with her ex-husband, but her ex-husband stopped by for a quick visit to repair her refrigerator.

Anyway, Cheryl accepts Walter’s offer for a date, and they’re at a magazine stand to sneak a quick peek at the last Life magazine. For the cover, Sean chose a picture of Walter examining a set of photos, and the last issue of Life is dedicated to the people, who worked on the magazine. The last shot of the movie shows Cheryl and Walter walking away together, while they’re holding hands and smiling.

A predictable finale, but the moment of Walter sticking it to Ted provides a satisfying pay-off. Scott did a good job of portraying this antagonistic jerk with an ego. I couldn’t WAIT for that one scene, where Walter stood up for himself, and all the people Ted stepped on, because Ted deserved a taste of his own medicine.

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty has some problems, and it’s not a perfect film by a long shot. They were trying to deliver an adventurous and epic fantasy comedy film, but the end result falls short of the intended goal for excellence. As the audience, we’re supposed to be in awe of this ordinary man, who takes a chance on having an extraordinary journey, but Walter’s bold and daring alter ego never reaches that grandiose level of supremacy.

Still, I had a good time with The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty provides enough energetic fun to hold your attention for two hours and five minutes, the laughs are consistent, and you’ll be rooting for Walter Mitty to succeeded in his various missions until the very end.

Rating: 7/10

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