The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton
Dir: David Fincher
Rating: 4.5/5
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button really has been one of the movies that everyone has been talking about in 2009; and this was evident when it bagged thirteen Oscar nominations earlier in the year.
Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1921 short story of the same name The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the tale of Benjamin (Pitt), born in 1918 in New Orleans as a baby with wrinkles, cataracts, and arthritis.
Benjamin will age backwards, getting younger as he watches those around him growing older. Included in that group are his adoptive mother, Queenie (Henson), and Daisy (Blanchett), the love of his life whom he meets when she is just a little girl and he is an old man.
They age in reverse, but despite Benjamin's globe-trotting adventures, their lives repeatedly intersect.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a tender hearted movie that looks at life, the ageing process as well as dealing with loss and at times it feels like a fantasy movie that’s set in the real world.
It’s a beautiful movie that incorporates beautiful and understated performances from its two lead stars, it’s great to see Pitt mixing up his roles and moving away from the pretty boy label that has dogged him his entire career.
It’s also a great turn from Taraji P. Henson as Benjamin’s protective mother who takes in the seemingly deformed child giving him a home.
Filmmaker David Fincher has producing a movie that’s a story of epic proportions, mix that in with some state of the art and groundbreaking special effects and you can really see why this movie has been held in such high regard.
Fincher delivers such a powerful and poignant message that it doesn’t matter if we live our lives forward or backwards as it’s not our appearance that defines us but what we do with our the time that is given to us.
But at the heart of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a love story and it’s a love that crosses continents and decades and shines just as brightly at the end as it did at the beginning it’s about endurance and acceptance as both Daisy and Benjamin make huge sacrifices for one another.
While many may criticise the rather lengthy running time of two hours forty six minutes the movie never feels like it’s dragging and it’s hard to see what they would have cut out.
This movie will draw major comparisons with the likes Forrest Gump both movies exploring the idea of life is a gift and how the two main characters believe that they can be and can achieve anything.
David Fincher has produced yet another great movie, very different from the likes of Fight Club, but it’s a movie that stays with you long after the credits have rolled as it examines morality and fleeting life is. However it leaves you with a very positive message grab life with both hands and just enjoy the ride.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is out now on DVD
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Brad Pitt