At The Movies: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swindon, Taraji P. Henson, Julie Ormond

Written by: Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, The Insider, Munich)

Directed by: David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac)

Yes, it’s worth all the acclaim. I’ll say that off the bat to put everything at ease. It should and will win a bunch of awards. With that said, we can move on. The Curious Case of BB is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story of the same name. The author that penned The Great Gatsby (possibly one of the greatest pieces of modern literature) conceived this idea of an infant being born with a “curious case” and through it, delivers a great commentary on the unpredictability of life and all the tasty metaphors that come with it. One of Hollywood’s best directors, David Fincher, takes it on and turns out one of the best theatrical releases of 2008.

Benjamin (Pitt) is born during the celebration of the end of WWI as what appears to be an 80 year old man. His mother dies in the process and the father, Thomas Button, scared of his unusual appearance, drops him off at the doorstep of a New Orleans home. Benjamin is taken care of, fearlessly, by Queenie (Henson), and she mothers him as if he was her own. He still has the disabilities of an 80 year old man, but as the old get older, Benjamin just gets younger; watching all of his elderly friends die of old age in the process.

Through his journey to a younger life, he meets Captain Mike, whom he works for as a dock worker, his father, whom he meets at a brothel, and Elizabeth (Swindon), whom Benjamin falls in love with as they have an affair. Regardless, the love of his life has always been his childhood friend, Daisy (Blanchett). Meanwhile, this entire story is being told by Caroline (Ormond), Daisy’s daughter in 2005 during the start of Hurricane Katrina.

The script, written by Eric Roth, does borrow heavily from another one of his films, Forrest Gump. Actually, it borrows a lot. Plenty of the same morals and values are instilled, but for those who weren’t a part of the Forrest generation, here’s your Forrest.

Pitt is sufficient in his role as the protagonist. He doesn’t go above and beyond expectations, but he does his job. The character is more than Pitt and his portrayal; it is everything else that comes with his aging process. The same can be said for the beautiful Blanchett, who really doesn’t amaze, but is once again, sufficient in her role as Daisy.

The beauty of BB is in the depth of the story and how it plays out. The setting of 2005’s Katrina is of extreme relevance and also helps blend the theme of obscure fantasy with global realism. It is aesthetically beautiful, and the tremendous special effect work is quite the spectacle. We saw a similar blend with Slumdog Millionaire and it worked out just as well.

What needs to be harped on is the direction of David Fincher. There really aren’t better mainstream directors better than him. Some of the shots are so chilling, so warming, so captivating, simply with its colour, its lighting, its positioning and its delicacy that the shots alone have loads of dialogue and story. He’s got a very sharp and unique eye, and the grit of Se7en or Panic Room are clearly evident even in the happiest of moments during the 170 minute long film.

That’s right, get ready for a lengthy one, but it serves its purpose. Similar to Zodiac, Fincher uses the film’s length to clarify and emphasize the timeline of Benjamin. He brings you into the movie and lets you dive into each situation and really feel it. If you can handle the length and the occasional long scene every now and then, you’ll be fine. Go see it whenever you can.

88/100

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