The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond, Elias Koteas, Taraji P. Henson, Elle Fanning
Directed by: David Fincher
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Romance
Box Office: $
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) is born as an eldery man, and begins to age backwards, getting younger, instead of getting older. This complicates matters when he falls for a girl (Cate Blanchett) aging normally- directly opposite of him.

Review:

Tim: I thought this movie was exceptionally good. No, it is not a great movie, but a very, very good one. I was interested and entralled for the film's 166 minute length (which is an achievement in and of itself) and I think it told a fascinating, different story in a powerful way. I enjoyed this movie.

Brad Pitt does excellent work as the titular Benjamin Button. He is believable, whether as a young old man, or as an old young one. The part couldn't have been the easiest to play, and yet, he does so seemingly effortlessly. Pitt is undoubtedly a true movie star, and his star power is on display here. I really enjoyed his quiet, understated performance. He deserved his nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The rest of the supporting cast is good as well. Cate Blanchett gives her typically good performance. I wasn't completely wowed by her, but she did good work and I have no complaints. I enjoyed the performance of Taraji P. Henson, but I am a bit surprised she was given an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. I am glad she didn't win because while she is good, I don't think she is great. I am not really sure what to think about Tilda Swinton. No one can claim that I'm a fan of her work, but she was tolerable here. I enjoyed the easily overlooked performance of Julia Ormond, but wish she could have made a bigger impact on the movie. I always love seeing Elias Koteas, and that was true again here.

I was a little disappointed in the special effects. On one hand, many of the special effects scenes are amazing and impressive. On the other hand, some are remarkably less so. The worst ones are when Benjamin Button is a "young" boy but very advanced in age. I love that the film decided to put Brad Pitt's face on a different actor's body, but the special effects failed a bit here. There were some scenes where it looked so obvious and fake that it completely took me out of the movie. That is unfortunate.

Luckily, this is a small flaw in an otherwise beautiful, complicated movie. The lengthy film has a very complex story to tell as we witness much of the life of Benjamin Button. I am a fan of intense, involved storytelling and this film masters that. In many ways it reminds me of the narrative structure of Forrest Gump. I found myself invested and intrigued by the story and waiting for its conclusion to know how the story ends. That is a great strength of the movie.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was nominated for an impressive 13 Academy Awards. It won only 3 however- Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, and best Visual Effects (this last one is debatable). Although it didn't bring home any of the big awards, its nominations are still fairly impressive. However, I have to admit that I would have given the Best Picture to this film, rather than Slumdog Millionaire. Still, while this movie missed out on the big hardware, it still received a great deal of critical acclaim. This is a great movie and one of the year's best.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Forrest Gump, Slumdog Millionaire, Seven, The Aviator