Wexner Center & Thurber House partner to present special preview screening of the Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Columbus, OH—The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a warm and charming comic fable directed by and starring Ben Stiller and based on the classic short story by Columbus native James Thurber, will be featured in a special preview screening exclusively for Wexner Center members and friends of Thurber House on Monday, December 9 at 7 pm in the Wexner Center’s Film/Video Theater, 1871 N. High St. The film is co-presented by the Wexner Center and Thurber House. This screening marks the first co-presentation between the two organizations, although Thurber House previously supported the center’s Cinema 614 series in summer of 2012.

Wexner Center Director Sherri Geldin notes, “The Wex is delighted to partner with our friends and colleagues at Thurber House to host this screening of a much anticipated new film. It’s wonderful that Hollywood has chosen to shine a light on one of Columbus’s most influential and important figures, and in turn on the city’s rich literary history. And bringing a classic—even iconic—story to new audiences is always a special pleasure, especially in collaboration with such an outstanding local organization as the Thurber House.”

Alison Barret, executive director of the Thurber House says, “It’s a thrill to work with the Wexner Center in bringing of this film to Thurber’s hometown, especially on the cusp of the story’s 75^th anniversary of publication—and also that of the Thurber House’s 30^th anniversary. Updated for the present day, the film is ample proof of Thurber’s influential work and the timelessness of his writing.”

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’s star-studded cast includes Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Patton Oswalt, Adam Scott, and the legendary Shirley MacLaine, and has already been called an “aesthetic breakthrough” for Stiller by the New York Film Festival. The film has been updated to the present day, with Stiller as the title character whose life as a photo researcher at Life magazine takes a powerful turn as he goes on the hunt for a long-lost photograph.