my theory on why #25 wasn't on the final cover

Reading through all the comments, I see where the confusion can seep in. The movie purposefully doesn't blatantly lay out the conclusions. However, I do think folks are over thinking what has happened. This is one of the movies I think if folks watch a 2nd time everything will make sense, and they will pick up on the "circumstantial evidence" that in fact a) Sean at least knows what Walter looks like (even if they never met in face-to-face), b) the cover is definitely #25 and the note at the beginning was meant as a riddle that lasted too long, and c) the cover photo is a photo of Walter at a previous time doing something habitual of checking out the negative in sunlight.


basically -- all that to say: watch it a 2nd time! it'll make sense

um picture 25 was the photo of walter

"Of course the argument then is how the execs got the photo of Walter for the final cover but that is another topic for debate."

Yes, of course, just ignore the obvious question that disproves your incorrect theory.

I believe the reason Sean didn't recognize Walter wasn't because he didn't know him or see him before but because it just didn't seem like something Walter Mitty would do. Also, he looked very different from how he usually looks. I mean who would have thought that this boring desk job guy who never really does anything interesting with his life would all of a sudden be in the Himalayas? I mean the guy zones out and dreams about all these crazy situation and adventures but when he actually starts doing them he stops zoning out cause he doesn't have that void anymore.

Also, Sean mentions how the snow leopard was called the "ghost cat" and refers to #25 as a ghost cat...he also mentions how "Beautiful things dont ask for attention"...which is sort of like how Walter Mitty is. Doesn't really get anyones attention, works in a dark isolated area, sort of put his life on hold after his father's death.

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Slightly off-topic, but in that scene, there's a diagram to the left that states "advantages" of having no photo for the last TIME issue. One of the bubbles say "Let the girls play it safe". Does that mean anything? Or is it just something the production staff placed because they needed to fill that space? The rest of the bubbles "make sense", but I don't understand this one. Anyone?

If they 25 pic was really walter looking at negatives - don't you guys think when he dropped it off at the office where the managers were having a meeting - it would seem kinda narcissistic to submit a photo of YOURSELF?? I'm not sure if he mentioned to the managers that he himself never looked at the picture. That was the weird part to me.

Nice Walter Mitty impression! Imagining something that's as blatantly obvious as the sun.