The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the tale of a man that is born old and grows younger with time. Director David Fincher has taken the task of bringing Eric Roth’s adapted screenplay to life. Benjamin Button, played by Brad Pitt, falls in love with Daisy, played by Cate Blanchett, but has the misfortune of falling for someone who age normally. Benjamin does the opposite, his body gets younger as he ages.
The movie begins with an old Daisy dying from cancer in a hospital with Hurricane Katrina bearing down on New Orleans. She’s being comforted by her daughter, who reads an old book and learns of her mothers true love, Benjamin Button. Through the telling of the story you experience many of the pivotal moments in Benjamin’s life. The love story arc of Daisy and Benjamin unfold rather unfortunately, until they meet somewhere in their forties.
It is hard not to compare this film the Forrest Gump. Both films are essentially ill fated love stories. Unfortunately, for me Benjamin Button lacked the heart of Forrest Gump. Most historic events weren’t utilized in the way Forrest Gump had, they where used far more as time stamps within the story.
At the height of the love story the movie takes a strange twist, at which point I no longer understood the reasoning behind Benjamin Buttons actions. Apparently, Benjamin Button is under the assumption that parents in there 20s and 30s are not fit to raise children. This really took me out of the movie at this point. But those that aren’t keeping track of the dates, or age of the characters in the film might not even notice.
The art direction of this movie was beautiful. There are full scenes that may be studied in classes for it’s cinematography. The use of framing a shot was fantastic throughout the entire three hours. The use of computer graphics and makeup worked perfectly to give you the feel that Benjamin Button really was growing younger.
Watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an enjoyable experience. Sadly, I believe it falls short of what the full potential the concept offers.