Rating of
3.5/4
Make This Case Your Priority
Chris Kavan - wrote on 12/28/08
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 this film is truly a sight to behold. If nothing else, this should win hands-down for makeup effects.
The love story, though it drives the the film, might actually be the weakest element. It's not that the chemistry is bad between Pitt and Blanchett, it's just that there's so much else going on to overshadow it. Characters come and go. Some are fleeting, like the affair with Tilda Swinton in Russia (which pays off with a nice scene towards the end of the film) or the rowdy artist and tugboat captain Mike, played with gusto by Jared Harris. Some of the biggest laughs come from a slightly senile old man who delights in telling people he's been struck by lightning seven times - each time he does the movie switches to an old-time movie clip punctuated by said lightning strike.
Despite some respite comedy scenes, Benjamin Button takes a decidedly serious turn. This is a movie about relationships - mother and daughter, father and son, mother and son - there are a lot of relationships to keep track of, but every one has a significant impact. Because Benjamin ages backwards, you do have to deal with a great many deaths. You would think after awhile it would lose its impact, but it never does. Each one hits you, even if you know they're coming.
The fate of both Benjamin and the love of his life are pretty much spell out within the first scenes. The end is both tragic yet heartfelt. At one point in the film Benjamin asks a resident of the old folks home what she would think about growing younger instead of older - and she responds that it would be horrible - watching everyone around you die and it would be a great burden to bear. Benjamin Button bears that burden, and bears it well, and his story will make you laugh, make you cry, but most of all, it will you aware that life is worth living.
