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Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’: Ben Stiller Tells a Manhood Rite of Passage Tale

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Mark Jackson
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PG | | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy | 25 December 2013 (USA)

Ben Stiller’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is about a bullied, ineffectual man-boy who reimagines his own bullying scenarios into fantasies in which he gets to be the alpha dog. James Thurber’s original comedic essay became Stiller’s 2013 movie, which frames the story as modern man’s quest for the sacred masculine in these confusing times, when cosmically, the yin (female) aspect is in ascension and yang (male) is in decline.

Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson
Film Critic
Mark Jackson is the chief film critic for The Epoch Times. In addition to film, he enjoys martial arts, motorcycles, rock-climbing, qigong, and human rights activism. Jackson earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams College, followed by 20 years' experience as a New York professional actor. He narrated The Epoch Times audiobook "How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World," available on iTunes, Audible, and YouTube. Mark is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
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