The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Not So Curious Really

cocobytes Review
Though you are curious as to the manner of how Benjamin Button develops throughout his life, (i.e. he ages backwards),once you get past this fact, the rest of the story is a fairly rudimentary yet busy tale about two beautiful people who love each other.

David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is based on a short story by F Scott Fitzgerald about a man who ages backwards from beginning his life as an eighty year old to dying as a newborn while all around him everyone ages in the conventional sense.

Button stars Brad Pitt playing the lead character of Benjamin Button, Cate Blanchett playing his love interest, Daisy and a standout performance by Taraji P. Henson, who plays Benjamin’s mother.

The story begins when Benjamin is born “under unusual circumstances” in 1918 in New Orleans as a wrinkly, old man. His mother dies just after his birth and upon seeing the child, frightened and shocked father, Thomas, (Jason Flemying) abandons the child on the steps of a nursing home owned by Queenie (Taraji P.Henson). Queenie takes pity on Benjamin and adopts the child as her own.

Little, wrinkly Benjamin seems to fit in rather well with the other residents of the nursing home who take on his appearance as an unfortunate illness. Nobody including Benjamin, expects him to last long due to his delicate health but he continues to grow, get stronger and younger as he ages.

At 12 years old and looking ancient, he meets 7 year old Daisy and is instantly smitten, likewise for Daisy. They hang out together late at night which seems a bit weird and creepy to watch but over time, Daisy becomes his soul mate and destiny keeps bringing them together throughout their lives as Daisy grows older and Benjamin gets younger.

Over the rest of the duration of the almost three hour film, everything but the kitchen sink is thrown in with numerous supplementary characters brought in to confuse the viewer. Major events that occur in Button’s life are shown including getting a job on a boat led by Captain Mike (Jared Harris), fighting at sea in World War II and having an affair with aristocrat, Elizabeth Abbott (Tilda Swinton) whom he meets along his travels.

Sidelining these key events is his relationship with Daisy who becomes a famous ballerina. As their ages are now more closely aligned, their love for each other deepens though is tinged with sadness as they both know they won’t be able to grow old gracefully together due to Button’s “illness” and they cherish the remaining time they have together.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has many strong points. Ten stars go to the fantastic CGI and prosthetic effects which are subtly done although at one stage when Brad Pitt was supposed to be about sixteen years old, his smooth skin and young features made me laugh out loud as he looked like he had just come from the set of “Thelma & Louise." Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are strong in their roles, but neither are particularly moving or affecting to the viewer.

The movie is appealing but perhaps something has got lost in translation from the book to the film as it lacks any real dynamism to make it outstanding. The themes are sober, the underpinning score is heavy and the duration of the movie keeps the tone serious.

By the end of the nearly three hours, I was relieved and my curiosity was well and truly sated for another day.