It wasn’t until two years ago that I learned what the Sunday Scaries were: the feeling of impending doom falling over you as a new week starts and having to do the same routine with little to no difference. Not only that, but the feeling of dissatisfaction with yourself for not being more productive on your day off (which is a catch-22 within itself). 

Well, dear reader, fear not (or not so much), for I have a fun proposition for you. In hopes of alleviating your weekly anxieties, if only for a little bit, I, Ashley Morales, will recommend some “feel-good” movies and TV shows to give you a new perspective on life. And if you’re not a big fan of said recommendations, maybe this will serve as your next conversation starter.

After the success of starring in films such as Zoolander (2001), Night at the Museum (2006), and Tropic Thunder (2008), but before creating the enticing TV series Severance, the incomprehensible Ben Stiller directed and starred in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013). The film follows (you guessed it) Walter Mitty, a socially awkward, daydreaming middle-aged man who also happens to be the negative assets manager at Life Magazine. He is responsible for getting the cover photo onto the print magazine. 

As a viewer, working at Life is one of the more interesting aspects of Walter. He lives a pretty banal life from the get-go. We get a glimpse into his passiveness in the first shot of him filling out a checking statement. Then we see him in a large and almost monochromatic room, as if everything has to be in place for normalcy’s sake. But we see the look on his face: he’s not just thinking about his finances, he’s also thinking about his life and what he’s doing with it.

Another shot reveals something that’s much more interesting, too: he’s on eHarmony (throwback!). As he looks over a woman’s profile, Cheryl Melhoff’s (Kristen Wiig), he reads her preferences and realizes that he does not check any of her boxes (real). However, with bravery, or whatever you call that feeling of taking action (maybe anxiety too), he tries to send her a Wink (equivalent to a right swipe on Tinder and/or a rose on Hinge). And in humiliating, yet typical, fashion, the message cannot be sent. Confused, he tries again. No luck. After multiple tries, he gives up.

Walter then goes to work, and there is a clear visual shift from his daily life. The colors are no longer blue or drab; there’s an abundance of color and newness to everything. A shot reveals Life Magazine’s motto (which is important but not entirely accurate to the real Life Magazine motto): “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of LIFE.”

A few scenes later, we learn that Life Magazine will transition from a print to an online magazine. The workers also learn that they will be let go after an evaluation of their roles. 

Funnily enough, Cheryl and Walter both work at Life. He daydreams about instances when he might be able to speak with her or become her ideal man. He is brought back to the real world when the managing director of the online ‘Transition’ of Life, Ted Hendricks (Adam Scott), throws a paperclip at him and calls him Major Tom (a David Bowie reference, because the guy has his head in the clouds). Walter then goes to his office downstairs and finds that a new picture has been sent in by renowned photographer Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn). O’Connell considers Walter his confidant, as Walter advocates for his picture to make the cover. The only thing is, Negative 25, the image that holds the quintessence of life, is missing. And it’s the one Sean and everyone else at Life want to publish as the last cover of the print issue.

Walter, in a collected crisis, comes up with excuses for the whereabouts of the negative. He claims that it is being processed and that they are prepping the wetting agents for it to start the process. But like Walter, sometimes we can only lie for so long. 

In a following scene, Ted tells Walter that the next time he sees him, he wants to see Negative 25. With this pressure, Walter sets out to find Sean, and with the help of Cheryl, he obtains an address in Greenland in hopes of speaking with him about the missing, quintessential image for Life’s last print magazine. 

He then begins to take risks, like going on a jet with a drunkard, jumping off said jet into the ocean, fighting a shark, and escaping a volcanic eruption. He gets this courage from Cheryl, who keeps in contact with him and seems to be one of the only people in his life who believes he has more to offer. 

As the audience learns more about Walter, he also learns more about himself and what he is capable of. He takes charge of his own life because he feels this newfound courage, this newfound love, and this sense of looking beyond what is ordinary. I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say this: the risks he takes make him feel better about himself and his outlook on life.

It’s a beautiful story, really, of one’s ability to take their life into their own hands, to change the story into something they like, something they’ll cherish, instead of staying stuck in the same place as before. Sometimes consistency is boring, and taking risks will change where your life is going. It’s scary at first, and at times it might suck, but at least you’ll have some stories that are interesting enough to share (even though you probably already have them regardless).

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has been one of my favorite feel-good movies. I watched it for the first time at 18 and have now rewatched it at 23, and still it leaves me with a sense of hope. Whether you’re in your early 20s or you’re older, I think you’ll find some hope in your future. Take your life into your own hands and keep telling stories.

This film is currently streaming on Hulu.