When word came down that Ben Stiller was remaking Danny Kaye’s 1947 musical fantasy “The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty,” we figured the story — in which a man escapes into his daydreams — was a setup for another “Night At The Museum“-esque jaunt. But, we certainly weren’t expecting this…
The first full trailer for the remake has arrived and it definitely puts a strong emphasis on heart-soaring mood and something with a bit more substance than your average CGI fest. To be sure, this will feature all kinds of effects as hinted at through the trailer, but ‘Mitty’ also seems to want to underscore that it’s a character journey too, with Stiller’s lead looking to secure the love of a woman, played by Kristen Wiig. Also: there is a grizzled Sean Penn in here too. This is certainly operating on a bigger and perhaps more substantial scale than we expected, so consider us intrigued.
There has been talk burbling of an Oscar campaign for the movie — 2013’s “Life Of Pi” for Fox? — and now we can kind of believe it. “The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty” opens on Christmas Day. Oh yeah, the song is “Dirty Paws” by Of Monsters And Men.