The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A Film Review by Marlena

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A Movie Review by Marlena

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Many of us dread getting older – more wrinkles, stiff joints, fleeting memory. But for Benjamin Button, the aging process that we experience is reversed. Born as a baby with unusually geriatric qualities, Benjamin’s body grows younger as he ages. This extraordinary characteristic alters Benjamin’s life forever, taking him on a journey that offers many valuable life-lessons and synonymously many sorrows.

With direction from David Fincher (Fight Club, Panic Room) and distributed by Paramount Pictures, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the intricate and mesmerizing story of Benjamin’s life with the talents of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

Set over the course of the early 20^th and 21^st centuries, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button begins in a present-day hospital in New Orleans, upon the arrival of Hurricane Katrina. An elderly woman, Daisy (Blanchett), is seen on her deathbed with her daughter by her side. The old woman, requests that her daughter read an old diary to her. As Daisy’s daughter reads, her voice begins to meld with that of a man, whom we soon find to be Benjamin Button (Pitt), and thus, his epic life-story begins. Upon the end of World War I in New Orleans, Benjamin Button is born wrinkled, arthritic, and practically on the verge of death without a mother, and unfortunately is abandoned on the front doorstep of a nursing home. A benevolent black woman, stumbles upon Benjamin and takes him in and raises him as one of her own. Expected to die any day, Benjamin exceeds his life expectancy, growing younger each day. As his life progresses, Benjamin encounters many people and situations that impact him and teach him a vital lesson – compassion, tenacity, loss, love – showing audiences the beauty and value of life and importance of the people in it.

The nature of Benjamin Button’s odd physical condition poses some complications for this film’s makeup team, complications that they soar over with mastery. The makeup work for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was unbelievably convincing – reverting forty-year-old actors to a spritely twenty years of age, making the stunning Cate Blanchett a withered and ancient old woman on the verge of death. The makeup and age effects for this movie are incredible and play a major role in the success and effectiveness of the film.

Overall, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is well-made and captivates audiences in all its 166-minute glory. Of the things this film executed well, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button demonstrates the better side of humanity through its myriad of enjoyable characters, who all seem to add to the story in an effective way regardless of how major or minute they are in the plot. Some characters add drama and emotion to the plotline, while some add simple yet overall meaningful comedy. Along with interesting characters, this film had some simple, yet beautiful scenes in terms of cinematography and thoughtful dialogue. With this said, while The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a considerably high-quality movie, it was just pleasant, nothing more; it seemed to lack the élan to leave audiences dumb in their seats as the movie credits role. This film has a heart-warming storyline that reminds us of important life lessons that are unfortunately very cliché. Luckily, the movie’s unique theme makes this flaw excusable and still a film that is worth watching.