Running time: 159 minutes
Rating 6 out of 10
Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has been drawn out to epic proportions in this rather labored screen adaptation. If a writer as gifted as Fitzgerald felt the tale of a man who lives his life backwards only warranted a few pages, then it seems arrogant of screenwriter Eric Roth to drag it out for nearly three hours.
It's undoubtedly an interesting idea, but at times watching Brad Pitt in the titular role metamorphose from a wrinkled youngster to a smooth skinned geriatric feels more like a gimmick than a basis for a movie. Te combination of make-up and special effects involved in producing Benjamin Button's startling transformation are quite brilliant. But the result is more focus is put on how than why? Extracting meaning from TCCOBB becomes secondary to voyeurism.
At the film's heart is a love story. One involving Button and Daisy (Cate Blanchett), a girl he first meets when both are very young, although he is trapped in an old man's body. Born in 1918, Button is left on the doorstep of an old people's home in New Orleans by his father (Jason Flemyng) following the death of his mother during childbirth. Despite his grotesque, wrinkled appearance, Benjamin is taken in by Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) who brings him up as her own. He becomes a fixture of the retirement home, his aged features causing him to blend in with the home's inhabitants.
The film, directed by David Fincher, follows Benjamin throughout his life as he copes with both the physical and psychological effects of his condition. How you look impacts how people treat you, so when those appearances are deceptive, it can have unforeseen consequences. Benjamin and Daisy's paths cross at various times, as he appears to get younger while she grows older. It's this emphasis on timing that is one of the film's central motifs. It's established at the beginning with the unveiling of a clock that runs backwards, built by a grieving father who had lost his son in World War I and wanted to turn back time.
Taken under the wing of a salty tugboat captain (Jared Harris), Benjamin enjoys a career at sea, while Daisy becomes a successful ballet dancer. As expected for someone struck down with such a traumatic affliction, Benjamin lacks confidence. His meek nature, though understandable, makes for a less than riveting central character. It's an issue not helped by the fact that throughout the film he changes so drastically, with Pitt's features showing through in varying degrees.
The film's original concept is its most compelling feature. The engaging performances of Pitt and Blanchett, and the eventful relationship of their characters, keep you connected as best they can, but the other meandering deviations only serve to distract and stall. Distilled into a more focused story, as originally outlined by Fitzgerald, the case of Benjamin Button would have been more curious than tedious.
Kevin Murphy
It's undoubtedly an interesting idea, but at times watching Brad Pitt in the titular role metamorphose from a wrinkled youngster to a smooth skinned geriatric feels more like a gimmick than a basis for a movie. Te combination of make-up and special effects involved in producing Benjamin Button's startling transformation are quite brilliant. But the result is more focus is put on how than why? Extracting meaning from TCCOBB becomes secondary to voyeurism.
At the film's heart is a love story. One involving Button and Daisy (Cate Blanchett), a girl he first meets when both are very young, although he is trapped in an old man's body. Born in 1918, Button is left on the doorstep of an old people's home in New Orleans by his father (Jason Flemyng) following the death of his mother during childbirth. Despite his grotesque, wrinkled appearance, Benjamin is taken in by Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) who brings him up as her own. He becomes a fixture of the retirement home, his aged features causing him to blend in with the home's inhabitants.
The film, directed by David Fincher, follows Benjamin throughout his life as he copes with both the physical and psychological effects of his condition. How you look impacts how people treat you, so when those appearances are deceptive, it can have unforeseen consequences. Benjamin and Daisy's paths cross at various times, as he appears to get younger while she grows older. It's this emphasis on timing that is one of the film's central motifs. It's established at the beginning with the unveiling of a clock that runs backwards, built by a grieving father who had lost his son in World War I and wanted to turn back time.
Taken under the wing of a salty tugboat captain (Jared Harris), Benjamin enjoys a career at sea, while Daisy becomes a successful ballet dancer. As expected for someone struck down with such a traumatic affliction, Benjamin lacks confidence. His meek nature, though understandable, makes for a less than riveting central character. It's an issue not helped by the fact that throughout the film he changes so drastically, with Pitt's features showing through in varying degrees.
The film's original concept is its most compelling feature. The engaging performances of Pitt and Blanchett, and the eventful relationship of their characters, keep you connected as best they can, but the other meandering deviations only serve to distract and stall. Distilled into a more focused story, as originally outlined by Fitzgerald, the case of Benjamin Button would have been more curious than tedious.
Kevin Murphy
