Benjamin Button was born under extremely unusual circumstances; he was born into the body of an old man with aching joints and wrinkled skin and blindness, an ailment which led to his parents leaving him on the doorstep of a local borstal. After a wild night out a young woman finds the crying baby and decides to offer him a place to stay with her as well as her love, despite being told by doctors that he will surely die within weeks. However, the baby grows stronger everyday and appears to be getting younger.... he is ageing backwards – leading him to experience war, parenthood and love. But his life can never be the same as others and it takes on its own very unique twists and turns.
The Curious case of Benjamin Button is an example of that rare thing in Hollywood; it is a great piece of story-telling. It takes an unusual premise and runs with it, creating a magical and emotional journey that charms, intrigues and moves in equal measure. It is gorgeously rendered, perfectly acted-out and sumptuously written with a huge amount of heart and passion that helps the whole film tide over its more problematic moments. Because it is such a well-told story it is easy to forget many of the films flaws; the opening is sluggish (some may say boring), the message a little confused and some of the scenes are there for purely aesthetic reasons but despite all of these mis-steps the film wears its heart on its shaggy sleeve and is genuinely engaging. Lessons are learnt, relationships are mended and secrets are revealed with such quiet grace and restraint that it is pretty heart-breaking and the films overall style is pure old Hollywood. As the credits roll and the lights shine back on you might well be left with the urge to ring your family and talk to your friends; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button sends a message about respecting life and living it to its full and there can’t be anything wrong with that!
The story of Benjamin Button’s life is told from three very different perspectives; a dying woman looking back at her relationship with him, her daughter who has seen the very real repercussions of the relationship and, through various diary entries
and letters, Benjamin himself. This gives the film a lot of substance and allows the film to feel very rounded; we are allowed to experience the story for the first time along with Daisy’s daughter which emphasises the bizarre premise and are then given a glimpse into the intimate moments of Daisy and Benjamin’s very human love affair, we gets to see secret kisses and quiet moments of pain, we get to see them show their love in both epic and tiny ways and we learn that their feeling truly transcend the constraints of time. The audience is given distance and closeness at the same time and as the story becomes more intricate this mix of perspectives really adds to the drama. The screenplay does an amazing job of building a truly touching central romance and weaves character development into almost every sentence; it is brave enough to go into some really dark places and is intelligent enough to trust the audience with moments of true tenderness and quiet; infact, some of the movies most uneventful moments are its most compelling. But the script is at its very best when it questioning the very real personal cost of living a unique and isolated existence; it asks important questions and isn’t afraid to let the audience find the answers themselves..... As Benjamin questions the reason for his ailment and ponders the existence of God he seals his fate as one of the most affecting characters of the last ten years.
The main problem with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is that it is dreadfully paced; the opening is bloated and dragged out to the point of tedium and the whole thing is too long. There are repetitive sequences that weigh the movie down and there seems to be a focus on the first half of Benjamin’s life; his experience in war, his first sexual experiences and his early interactions but they aren’t handled with the speed or style that would make them riveting. The slow pacing has the benefit of offering a huge amount of character progression and gives a great sense of the slowly shifting time frame that Benjamin lives through; time is extremely important to the heart of this story.... there isn’t enough, or there is too much, or what is given isn’t spent wisely......... but the films 3 hour running time is slightly wearing and has been its biggest point of criticism. The opening becomes thin very quickly making some of it feel like an endurance test rather than a magical, transporting experience. However, I didn’t want it to end and would have loved the last 20 minutes to be expanded upon and I can’t say that I felt the slow pace was a particular problem, the film is too exciting, upsetting and moving to be put off by its, admittedly ridiculous, length.
Brad Pitt is a wonderful centre to the film; grounding it with true emotion, intelligence and strength... he gives the film credibility where it could have become ridiculous, grace where it could have been clunky and injects a huge amount of energy and emotion into his character. At times his portrayal of Benjamin Button is rubbed raw by the pain of his past and at others shines with the knowledge of experience and self discovery... he brings resonance to Benjamin’s journey and beautifully handles the physicality that the role demands. He makes the character come to life and as he begs his daughter to ‘live a life she can be proud of’ his voice is virtually shaking with regret and desperation – he has been robbed of the life he had dreamed of and that upset is perfectly brought to life. Cate Blanchett is equally compelling; she perfectly embodies the selfishness of Daisy as well as the purity of her love and gives a huge sense of depth to her... every gesture suggests something more and her face seems to be telling its own story of mistakes and mis-steps – she also brings a sense of great strength and courage to the film. She really connects with the conflicting emotions that Daisy feels and shows a great chemistry with Pitt as well as Julia Ormond, who deserves mention as the daughter who slowly realises that this story holds more significance for her than she could have ever imagined. Taraji P. Henson is also wonderful in her Oscar nominated role as Benjamin’s mother – she is extremely empathetic and moving.
The world of The Curious case of Benjamin Button is beautifully re-created; scenes from the 20s, 30s and 40s are all amazingly brought to life – the sets are remarkably realistic and detailed bringing a sense of authenticity to the film and all aesthetic elements of the movie are truly excellent... the clothes are brilliant, the special effects incredible and the camera work technically spectacular. It takes on old Hollywood sensibilities whilst utilising the best that modern technology has to offer and it is a very engaging mix – this is all helped by the extremely realistic and eye catching make-up used to bring the story to life; Brad Pitt’s transformation from old man to young child is vivid and spectacular and really adds alot to the experience. David Fincher’s direction is very sure-footed offering a real sense of stability to the production; he offers restraint and never falls into the cliché or sentimental... he refuses to offer easy answers and draws impeccable performances from his excellent cast. He really works with the screenplay and hits the audience with a huge amount of charm and passion..... He obviously loves the story and its characters and so treats them with respect and joy – he is an accomplished technical director with a real eye for visuals as well as character development.
Overall The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a movie about the importance of loving yourself enough to find joy in everything your life gives you; it’s a film about healing old wounds and starting out late and most of all it is films about letting people touch your life even if it hurts to. All of the characters have to build their lives out of experience and passions and pains and the pitch-perfect performances, remarkable style and sure-footed screenplay really bring them to life.
Benjamin Button: [Voice over; letter to his daughter] For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
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surveysista1988 10.06.2009 (10.06.2009)
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