"I was born under unusual circumstances." And so begins The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans, from the end of World War I in 1918 into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be. Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond, "Benjamin Button," is a grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time.
The technical dazzle of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a truly astonishing thing to behold: this story of a man who ages backwards requires Brad Pitt to begin life as a tiny elderly man, then blossom into middle age, and finally, wisely, become young. How director David Fincher--with makeup artists, special-effects wizards, and body doubles--achieves this is one of the main sources of fascination in the early reels of the movie. The premise is loosely borrowed from an F. Scott Fitzgerald story (and bears an even stronger resemblance to Andrew Sean Greer's novel The Confessions of Max Tivoli), with young/old Benjamin growing up in New Orleans, meeting the girl of his dreams (Cate Blanchett), and sharing a few blissful years with her until their different aging agendas send them in opposite directions. The love story takes over the second half of the picture, as Eric Roth's script begins to resemble his work on Forrest Gump. This is too bad, because Benjamin's early life is a wonderfully picaresque journey, especially a set of midnight liaisons with a Russian lady (Tilda Swinton) in an atmospheric hotel. Fincher observes all this with an entomologist's eye, cool and exacting, which keeps the material from getting all gooey. Still, the Hurricane Katrina framing story feels put-on, and the movie lets Benjamin slide offscreen during its later stages--curious indeed.--Robert Horton Stills from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Click for larger image)
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Unknown:
am unable to review the cointent of this dvd as it was defective and stopped in the middle and would not resume.
Slowest dullest movie I've ever watched. Every character the broadest stereotype, every line a meaningless cliché. The only positive I can say is at least they didn't cast Robin Williams as the lead.
Looking younger by the day...literally.:
Perhaps once or twice in a year, a movie comes along which can be described as lyrical. This is definitely one for 2008. Somehow the whole feel of the movie reminded me of watching "The New World" the brilliant work from Terence Mallik. Apart from having a love story as the crux, their plotlines have nothing in common. The similarity is more to do with the narrative and the willingness look more closely at the human condition than breeze over it. David Fincher is a master craftsman. His body of work is... more info
Well-packaged, but silly:
A lot of films have a kind of smugness or conceit built into them. This film is not only very pleased with itself, it positively drips with unfounded confidence. First, there is the main idea that initially seems kind of neat - a man is born old and gradually "grows younger" as he gets older. But as you think about it more, and as you watch the film struggle to fit the idea into its narrative, you can increasingly see the seams even as Button's wrinkles fade. For instance, why did we not see poor Ben die as... more info
