The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Review

Overall 4.42 of 5 view all 19 reviews

MikeMaroon
Chattanooga, TN

Growing Old. In the Wrong Direction

a movie buff, Admires Brad Pitt the actor

Pros

Excellent acting, Magical story-telling

Cons

a bit long

DEC

2008

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button —

I've said in a previous review, The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, that Brad Pitt is one of America's best actors. He does nothing to refute that claim in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Pitt teams up with director David Fincher for a third time (Se7en and Fight Club being the others) for the story of a man born at the tender age of 80, then ages backward in defiance of the laws of nature as we know them.

Set in New Orleans, the film, loosely based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, opens with Daisy ( the always pleasant to watch Cate Blanchette) lying on her death bed in a hospital. As the elderly woman awaits the arrival of of the grim reaper (or, as he likes to be called, Grim), the rest of New Orleans awaits the arrival of Hurricane Katrina. She has her daughter, Caroline (Julia Ormaond) read to her from a weather worn diary of mysterious origin, choosing this manner to share certain secrets with Caroline and we see the tale unfold, starting with the birth of one Benjamin Button. The diary was, in fact written by Mr Button and he serves as narrator of his own story.

Born during a time of celebration for America (November 11, 1918, the day World War I ended), his birth was not a time of celebration for his parents. His mother dies within hours of his birth, as was not uncommon at the time, and his father, horrified at Benjamin's appearance and grieving already, snatches the baby up, runs from the house and leaves little Button on the door-step of an old folks' home.

There he is discovered by the so-far barren Queenie (Taraji P. Hensen) and her man Tizzy (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), who take him into their little one room abode in the home (they are care givers), and as Benjamin grows, he knows only Queenie as his mother. She, being alarmed as his appearance, calls a doctor who correctly diagnosises him as having many of the afflictions (arthritis, cataracts) of a very old man and gives a grim prognosis. Little Benjamin probably is not long for this world. This proves to be incorrect, of course ( would be a very short movie had he been right) for our little man has just begun.

As he grows, Benjamin comes to understand he lives in a place folk go to die and he as to wrestle with losing people he has come to care about and this lesson influences decisions he makes later in the story. He also meets, early on, the one person who changes his life forever, Daisy. When he first meets her she is about 6 and he the same, although it gives the somewhat creepy appearance of an old man playing with a child. If we understand the characters though, this doesn't bother us because emotionally, and chronologically, they are the same age. They bond almost instantly and she influences every action he takes from there on.

And so, the fates of these two people are intertwined even though, through a large part of the film they lead separate lives. Benjamin meets Capt Mike (Jared Harris), who gives him is first job, his first whiskey and his first whore. He makes a life of sailing until he ultimately finds himself battling a U-Boat during WWII. Daisy? She goes off to New York to be a dancer.

The acting, as you would expect with these two, is pristine and we come to care about Benjamin and Daisy, wondering, as Julia does while reading the diary to her mother, what becomes of them, forgetting sometimes that Benjamin is a freak of nature. That's because Pitt plays Button as a man who, up to a point, refuses to behave like an old man growing young, but as a normal, well adjusted dude, with a quiet confidence that serves him well. Blanchett gives Daisy remarkable depth and complexity as she struggles with the challenges unique to her situation.

THE BOTTOM LINE

At first glance The Curious Case of Benjamin Button resembles Forrest Gump in style and its fixation on a man who is different from the rest of us, but overcomes in spite of his limitations. Instead, it is an examination of life, how time stands still for no one. Even more than that, it is a love story. It is the story of two people dealing with a unique circumstance and coming to understand it is what is within us and not how we appear that matters. At 165 minutes, the story meanders somewhat, but never in a way that is boring or causes us to lose interest. The visual effects are remarkable as, during the aging process, it is always Pitt's face we see and we don't quite understand how they do it, especially near the end when he appears as a young boy.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is intelligent, well acted and, most importantly has a cohesive, relatable narrative that draws us in. By the time the last page of the diary is read, the secrets are told and the hospital evacuated as Katrina bears down on them, Benjamin Button and company have become part of our lives. We've smiled for them and shared more than one tear with them. Oh, and Queenie is the mother some of us might have had and those who didn't wished they had. Curious, indeed. GRADE: A

Last edited on Dec 28, 2008

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is recommended by MikeMaroon

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Comments about MikeMaroon’s Review

In response to Bfastattiffanys's comment from Mar 3, 2009 at 2:22PM:

Thank you! It's a keeper alright!

Awesome review. I was wondering what the premise of this movie was about. Definitely want to see it now.

In response to Matt's comment from Feb 15, 2009 at 4:37PM:

Thanks! Yeah, I've always liked Brad Pitt and thought him an excellent actor, even though his personna is off-putting to some.

Great review Mike! I saw the movies last night and like any good movie, it has stuck with me. Your review really sums it up nicely. I have a bit more respect for Brad Pitt after seeing this one.

In response to MikeMaroon's comment from Feb 10, 2009 at 9:34AM:

And all 3787 of his kids. LOL. I think I just don't like Angelina and am taking it out on Brad.

In response to PattyTherre's comment from Feb 9, 2009 at 2:32AM:

I don't know about all that, but I do like him as an actor. You are probably right, he does come across arrogant. Well, long as I don't have to live next door to him!

I think I'm the only one in the world who thinks Brad Pitt is a pretentious, arrogant jerk. He can act, yes, but it all goes downhill from there so I don't watch his movies. Take that "Brangelina"!