I was really excited to see a name I came across in a book I read for my english class on TV recently. A Walter Mitty is apparently what you call any average Joe with big dreams. The most recent adaptation of that character comes in the form of a cute movie, a twist on your average adventure story.

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is an endearing story about one such soul. Based off of a short story, the term has been used for ages, and Ben Stiller embodies this character perfectly as the star of his self-directed movie.

The basic premise of the movie is that the final issue of “Life” magazine is being published and Walter Mitty is given the final front cover photo, except, he can’t find it on the roll of film he’s given by photographer Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn). So he has to go find the photographer to get it back. The story is adorable. It’s got some romance, some action, comedy, and a whole bunch of feel-goodiness.

Walter Mitty is a character with big dreams, and he’s constantly zoning out and imagining what his cooler dream-self would do in the situation. I love how at beginning of the movie you can’t really tell if you’re watching his dreams of what his would like to do in the situation or “real” life. However, by the end, you know what’s real and what’s not because you know the character like he’s your best friend.

Some of his dreams are completely ridiculous. There’s one where he becomes a tiny old man because he apparently has Benjamin Button syndrome, or something like that, and he dies in the arms of Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wiig), the love of his life. The sheer strangeness of the scene left me gasping for air I was laughing so hard.

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” lets you root for a normal guy for once and makes you laugh until you cry along the way. I absolutely loved it.