Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3.5/4
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/16/2012
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button charts the life of a man who was born old and grows younger as times progresses across the span of the 20th century. Based on a short story by "the" great American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, Benjamin Button is a film that eloquently captures the magic and charm of Hollywood from times long past. It has a warmth, gentle humour and charm that is sorely missing from most of the sentimental slop that is produced these days and is truly stunning to look at. Brad Pitt gives a much softer edged performance than I thought he was capable of and is wonderfully supported by Cate Blanchett who perfectly captures the gradual maturity of age from self absorbed hedonist to rounded and worldly wise matriarch. The "life story" format draws obvious comparison to …
Rating of
4/4
Fincher and Pitt team up again for a Masterpiece @
mdtinney - wrote on 06/02/2009
"Life isn't measured in minutes, but in moments" is the exacting tagline of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and while the fantastic story of a man that ages backwards (the titular character played by Brad Pitt) is hard to swallow, it entertains while being surprisingly relevant and unshallow.
The versatile David Fincher, who also directed Pitt in Fight Club and Se7en, made Benjamin Button as lengthy as his other fab film Zodiac, but he keeps you occupied with the sumptuous visual design and smoothly executed special effects that don't steal the characters' thunder. After all, it's the cast that not only assured box-office draw but also made sure that you are emotionally engaged.
It's difficult not to feel for each one of them. As his life is played all throughout, you will share …
Rating of
3/4
The Thought-Provoking Case of Benjamin Button
SmokeScreener - wrote on 05/31/2009
I had an odd reaction to this movie. As I watched the film, I found the premise interesting, but I thought it moved very slowly. When the two time-crossed lovers finally have their all-too-brief life together, I became very angry at Benjamin's decision to leave his lover and young daughter. Why would he do this? It wasn't like he was going to die in a week or month... he still had plenty of time to share with his family.
For 24 hours after I watched this film, I thought about this. I thought about how fragile life is for all of us. I though about how Benjamin developed dementia, and had to be cared for... it didn;t matter in the end whether he was very old, or very young. Most importantly, the movie made me think about many of these issues.
If I had rated the movie …
Rating of
1.5/4
Unoriginal, overhyped movie of 2008
TommyL31 - wrote on 04/17/2009
I cannot fathom why this movie is getting so much credit. I guess it must be because it's an "oscar-style" movie. In my opinion is cheap knockoff of other (good) movies and a poor man's drama.
Here are the cliche/knockoff moments that I find too stupid/obvious:
Old lady telling the story of her life framework for a movie is way too "Titanic"
The entire relationship seems to be a Forrest Gump/Jenny knockoff
Placing a love story uselessly near a known tragedy is very "Titanic" but at least the titanic had something to use because there was the urgency of being out at sea and there was the whole "class" issue
The reverse disease is overplayed and was reminiscent of "Phenomenon"
In addition to these, I found that his aging wasn't entirely consistent (or people around him didn't age …
Rating of
3.5/4
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
JT - wrote on 02/23/2009
Now, the is my very first movie review so please bear with me. I am only 19 and have much to learn and much to watch, but I do assure you that for someone my age I am one of the biggest fan of films that you will meet.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button tells a story of a man born into the age of a man well into his eighties, but who still has the size of a newborn. As Benjamin grows up, the movie tells the story of the people he meets along the way that make an impression on him and shapes him into the person he is, but also tells the great obstacles he has to overcome with his life going in reverse, especially the great challenge in dealing with his love, Daisy.
Now, many people have compared this movie to Forrest Gump as I can see why. But I also believe there are other …
Rating of
2/4
Boring and a rip off.
Ichabod Crane - wrote on 01/25/2009
This movie is painfully derivative of Forest Gump which means Eric Roth who wrote both was being incredible lazy when he wrote this. I would go into how there are already several articles on that, but it is a big problem with the movie because it results in a very boring adventure with a dull protagonist. He is played like an idiot as if he was Gump which is the biggest problem. It is as if he did not notice he was a person who aged backwards. What happens through the story is boring and the last part is one of those things where it is like lets get these characters dead and do it slowly. The characters he meets are colorful but still uninteresting. There is nothing special about this movie besides the special effects. Even the make up I have a problem with namely the make up on Cate …
Rating of
3/4
One of the Best of 2008--Only Visual-Wise
Franz Patrick - wrote on 01/08/2009
Directed by the enigmatic David Fincher (”Se7en,” “Fight Club,” “Panic Room,” “Zodiac”), “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a sight to behold, but it is too long for its own good. While the first and last hours are absolute perfection, I couldn’t help but feel tired during its saggy middle. There were so many repetitive elements that Fincher could’ve left out because they do not contribute to the overall big picture. I consider this film as one of Brad Pitt’s most complete performances. Throughout most of the picture, we see him with wrinkly skin and broken down posture; however, we feel for his character so much because even though he is born in extraordinary circumstances, he leads a pretty ordinary life. Pitt reminds everyone that he is more than just …
Rating of
2.5/4
Tried to be something its not
BryanFury - wrote on 01/06/2009
I suppose I need to explain myself why Benjamin Button didn't deserve 3 stars. First reason and probably the most obvious one is the film's length. I mean let us be honest it's pretty damn long, there are a lot of unnecessary scenes that wasn't supposed to be there. Second thing is I did not feel the love story enough. I really don't know I mean Brad's a good actor and all but it just did not developed to something special. I almost hated the love story part halfway through the movie. Don’t get me wrong Cate and Brad look great together but I just did not feel their chemistry enough. They really tried to have something like that of a Forrest and Jenny relationship, well tried would be the best part. My third and final reason would be it became so pretentious. You almost feel like …
Rating of
3.5/4
Magnificent. Gets Better With Age
Alex - wrote on 01/02/2009
I was extremely weary at the beginning of this film. It started really slow (though still very interesting). I didn't think I would like it and wondered what all the hype was about. I think part of the reason was because of how good I heard this movie was. The longer I waited the better it got!
David Fincher and team should win every creative Academy award. The entire film felt real. The sets, the pieces, the actors. Brad Pitt was not acting, he was Benjamin Button. He should win Oscar for Best Actor (though I know he won't). The cinematography for a period piece was the most accurate I have seen since Gladiator. A beautiful flick.
Getting back to the story - Benjamin Button's case, is extremely curious. It is an amazing tale that should be told more than once. Every …
Rating of
3.5/4
Make This Case Your Priority
Chris Kavan - wrote on 12/28/2008
An incredibly moving film that works not because of the story, but in the way it's presented.
We're introduced to Benjamin Button, just born but already an old man. His father abandons him and he is raised (ironically) in an old-folks home by Queenie, a kind black woman and her Shakespeare-quoting beau. Thus begins a grand adventure that travels from New Orleans, to Russia, to a WWII naval battle, New York, India and ultimately back to New Orleans.
This is another pairing of David Fincher and Brad Pitt. While this film is completely different from the first two times we've seen them together, the result is still highly favorable. Fincher can get the most out of Pitt whether he's an wheelchair-bound Yoda-like old man, a jealous lover, a caring father - the range he goes through in …
