The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(A- or 3.5/4 stars)
"I was born under unusual circumstances". "You never know what's coming". These sayings are riddled throughout David Fincher's film, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'. Adapted from a 1921 F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, this lengthy motion picture shows the life of a man who is born in his 80's & ages backwards. Just like us normal human beings, he cannot stop time. We follow his tale, set in New Orleans from the end of WWI to 2005 when Hurricane Katrina strikes the city head-on. The film aims to gut-punch us by showing Benjamin's ups & downs, the loves of his life, the people he encounters, & the eras he lives through. 'TCCoBB' doesn't quite contain the necessary emotional heft to make it truly exceptional, but it's still a beautiful & potent film to experience.
August, 2005: Lying on her deathbed, 80 yr. old Daisy (Cate Blanchett) is being attended by her daughter, Caroline (Julia Ormond). To pass the time (before her imminent death), Caroline reads from the diary of a man named Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), whose life repeatedly crisscrossed with her mothers. Ben Button was born in 1918 as an old man in a baby's body (with all ensuing ailments of someone old). His mother died in childbirth. And abhorred at the sight of him, his dad abandons Ben at the doorstep of one, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson). With each passing yr., he grows younger. He first meets young Daisy when he is 13 (looking about 70) & confesses to her his curious case. She becomes the love of his life, but it would be decades before even a thought of intimacy with her is possible.
This film is structured in 3 distinct segments: 1) Benjamin's childhood. Watching him become more physically & mentally agile is something to see. And his adjustments are made easier by his incredibly loving mother, Queenie. 2) Ben's middle-aged years (pre, during, & post-WWII). He works on a tug boat. And while docked in Russia, enters into an affair with a married British woman named Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton). After this segment, he returns home younger & healthier than ever. 3) Ben's older/younger yrs. (however you want to put it). He reconnects with Daisy; living out a sort of fantasy period of his life. But it's also met with heavy sacrifices, defining life decisions, sadness, happiness, & death.
This is an ambitious & magical movie; as evidenced in a superb vignette that shows how a particular car accident resulted from a series of unrelated incidents. Without any one of these smaller incidents, the accident would never have occurred (thus changing the course of a life in the blink of an eye). I loved that. Pitt & Blanchett are stellar in their roles. Brad gives Benjamin great sensitivity. And Cate (in her late years ... when she's not so whiny & self-centered) is as good as ever. It takes a while, but you do want Ben & Daisy to end up together. Taraji Henson, as Ben's adopted mom, gives warmth & humor to a 1-dimensional role. Jared Harris is fun as the eclectic (if slightly unintelligible) tug boat captain. And Tilda Swinton lends an interesting & hypnotic performance as the repressed, aristocratic insomniac who has dreams of her own. She had a big effect on Benjamin ... I think.
You see, 'Curious' is the perfect description of Benjamin; being more of an observer of life than truly investing IN it (i.e., the affair in Russia). So other than his perplexing aging ailment & congenial nature, there's a lack of tension in his character. I also had an issue with the narrative. Plot points are introduced, but then voice-overs or montages take over. These quibbles aside, I really did enjoy the movie. The film's power is in its familiar message that: life is fleeting/nothing lasts long/and then it's all over (the last shot of the film puts an indelible stamp on that message). The cinematography is exquisite (I just wish that each shot lasted longer than 4 or 5 seconds). The make-up/CGI combo is amazing. I love Alexander Desplat's subtle musical score. 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is utterly beautiful, poetic and, when all is said & done ... curiously touching.
August, 2005: Lying on her deathbed, 80 yr. old Daisy (Cate Blanchett) is being attended by her daughter, Caroline (Julia Ormond). To pass the time (before her imminent death), Caroline reads from the diary of a man named Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), whose life repeatedly crisscrossed with her mothers. Ben Button was born in 1918 as an old man in a baby's body (with all ensuing ailments of someone old). His mother died in childbirth. And abhorred at the sight of him, his dad abandons Ben at the doorstep of one, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson). With each passing yr., he grows younger. He first meets young Daisy when he is 13 (looking about 70) & confesses to her his curious case. She becomes the love of his life, but it would be decades before even a thought of intimacy with her is possible.
This film is structured in 3 distinct segments: 1) Benjamin's childhood. Watching him become more physically & mentally agile is something to see. And his adjustments are made easier by his incredibly loving mother, Queenie. 2) Ben's middle-aged years (pre, during, & post-WWII). He works on a tug boat. And while docked in Russia, enters into an affair with a married British woman named Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton). After this segment, he returns home younger & healthier than ever. 3) Ben's older/younger yrs. (however you want to put it). He reconnects with Daisy; living out a sort of fantasy period of his life. But it's also met with heavy sacrifices, defining life decisions, sadness, happiness, & death.
This is an ambitious & magical movie; as evidenced in a superb vignette that shows how a particular car accident resulted from a series of unrelated incidents. Without any one of these smaller incidents, the accident would never have occurred (thus changing the course of a life in the blink of an eye). I loved that. Pitt & Blanchett are stellar in their roles. Brad gives Benjamin great sensitivity. And Cate (in her late years ... when she's not so whiny & self-centered) is as good as ever. It takes a while, but you do want Ben & Daisy to end up together. Taraji Henson, as Ben's adopted mom, gives warmth & humor to a 1-dimensional role. Jared Harris is fun as the eclectic (if slightly unintelligible) tug boat captain. And Tilda Swinton lends an interesting & hypnotic performance as the repressed, aristocratic insomniac who has dreams of her own. She had a big effect on Benjamin ... I think.
You see, 'Curious' is the perfect description of Benjamin; being more of an observer of life than truly investing IN it (i.e., the affair in Russia). So other than his perplexing aging ailment & congenial nature, there's a lack of tension in his character. I also had an issue with the narrative. Plot points are introduced, but then voice-overs or montages take over. These quibbles aside, I really did enjoy the movie. The film's power is in its familiar message that: life is fleeting/nothing lasts long/and then it's all over (the last shot of the film puts an indelible stamp on that message). The cinematography is exquisite (I just wish that each shot lasted longer than 4 or 5 seconds). The make-up/CGI combo is amazing. I love Alexander Desplat's subtle musical score. 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is utterly beautiful, poetic and, when all is said & done ... curiously touching.