This is the part where I act like an authority on entertainment, and criticize the work of professionals who are, without exception, more successful than I in the industry in which we both work. Some people would say this is proof I have "balls", or "chutzpah" in Jewspeak. Others would say it's proof I'm a "douchebag". To catch up on any old reviews, you can find the link on the right hand side of the page, or just click here.
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is old school, big cinema storytelling coupled with cutting edge technology. Thematically, it's David Fincher's take on 'Forrest Gump' -- a typically darker, more haunting tale, replacing the lightness and innocence of 'Gump' with the mystical brooding of this (almost) modern day fairy tale. The two films have the same screenwriter, Eric Roth, both mine Southern culture of the past for its background, and have their protagonists bump up against history now and again. But the similarities end there -- while 'Gump' delivers plenty of joy and laughs as it meditates on the subjects of fate and destiny, 'Button' is less whimsical and more haunting while delving into the mysteries of life and death.
Roth adapted the screenplay from a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which chronicles, well, the curious case of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), a man who ages backwards. But Roth uses only the major conceit of the original story, crafting entirely new details to frame Button's life. In Fitzgerald's tale, Button is born as a 70-year old in 1860 Baltimore, raised by his father, grows up (down?) to have children of his own, and eventually, as an old man, attends Kindergarten with his own grandson.
In Roth's take (Robin Swicord shares "screen story by" credit), Benjamin is born in New Orleans on the night World War I ends, essentially, in the body of an old man. He's small like a baby, and cries like a baby, but is wrinkled, and gray. His mother dies in child-birth and his father, panicked at seeing his freakish son, dumps him on a random doorstep. Coincidentally (or ironically if you're feeling liberal), it's the doorstep of an old folks home, where he's taken in by Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), a live-in employee at the home, whose whole life is spent caring for those who can't care for themselves anymore. Queenie takes the child to a doctor, who reveals he has all the typical ailments of an old man, and likely only has a short time to live. Queenie pledges to make Benjamin's remaining time as comfortable as possible, and raises the boy as her own.
It quickly becomes apparent the child is aging backward -- becoming stronger, growing hair, etc. -- as he grows. He meets the love of his life -- Daisy (Elle Fanning) -- as a child, but looks like an old man. (It's as creepy as it sounds.) He has the joy, the curiosity, even the sexual appetites, 0f a younger man, but the world sees him as an old man. When he must reassure a tugboat captain (Jared Harris) that he has the strength to do the work of a deck hand in order to land his first job, "Captain Mike" takes pity on what he thinks is a man past his prime. Really, Benjamin's adventures are just beginning. The boat takes him around the world, introduces him to sex, and alcohol, and different cultures, and even into battle in World War II. The adventures we follow him on are somewhat episodic, but they are eminently watchable.
The film is all Fincher -- visually sleek and smooth, using special effects to great benefit (especially in the odd aging -- or is that de-aging? -- of Benjamin), but not overly concerned with warmth. His cinematography and sense of style is stellar as always, the set design and costumes (especially in New Orleans) is just superb. Fincher et al creates a colorful world, and allows Benjamin to explore it. He's not the most proactive protagonist, but you still root for him to overcome his "unusual circumstances". You can't take your eyes off the screen, and anticipate the next stage of Benjamin's life with wonder, but I don't know that you feel as much as you could. Living up to his reputation, he tells an amazing story, and he does it in an extremely artful way, but he keeps his subjects at arm's length. But it's not so much a failing as a choice. I didn't mind it -- I love Fincher's style, much in same way I love Michael Mann's -- but one does wonder what a more emotionally evocative director might have done it (a Ron Howard or Clint Eastwood probably would've had more people crying at the end). But the film is still involving, even moving.
Pitt is very good here in a tremendously hard role to play. He's not just playing someone at all ages of their life, but having to play different internal and external ages simultaneously. As an adventurous, wide-eyed boy on the inside, Benjamin's stuck in an elderly man's body, complete with arthrytis, bad posture, etc. Pitt does a great job mixing the creaky unease of old age with the wonder of youth. Fincher and his team of special effects people are able to use Pitt's heavily made-up face on a small, shriveled-up body, and keep it looking real. the film's budget was reportedly in the $150 million range, and it shows.
Blanchett is great as the grown up Daisy, Pitt's star-crossed lover -- the Jenny to his Forrest -- though her performance as the elderly Daisy during the framing device used to tell Benjamin's story seems a bit forced (more on that in a moment). They're nearly the same age, but look to be polar opposites. But as time goes on, they meet physically, going in opposite directions, then pass right by. A relationship is hard to pull off when half your life one of you appears to others to be in a pedophile. Some of the lesser names in the cast also give standout performances. Henson, who was amazing in 'Hustle & Flow', is great as Queenie -- all love and sweetness. Harris brings a memorable joy and saltiness to Captain Mike, who steals much of the second act. And Tilda Swinton shows a (slightly) softer side as a love interest of Benjamin's.
About that framing device: I've grown a bit weary of the old person telling the story of their life as they lay dying bit, so I was a little disappointed to see that used here. And the tacked-on feeling of Julia Ormond's character in those scenes didn't help. But I felt it was redeemed a bit by the twist used to bring that scene into the context of history -- others may feel this twist is either patronizing, exploitative, and/or predictable, but I felt it added a beautifully melancholy button (please forgive the pun) to this beautifully melancholy film.
'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is, if not a masterpiece, certainly an epic success -- it takes on life and death, and family, and adventure, and love, and touches your mind if not your heart. Its awe-inspiring look and masterful performances make it an odds-on bet for Oscar nominations, if not wins. Fincher, Roth, Pitt and Henson could all be up for awards. The more interesting question -- at least to me -- is whether the film will find an audience. With Pitt starring and a simple yet wondrous premise, it certainly has a chance. But at nearly three hours, and bearing all the earmarks of a Fincher film -- most pushing it toward art over commerce -- I could see it having only modest success. In which case, it may need those Oscar nods, and accompanying publicity, to become a box office success.
Using the age-old Hollywood scale of judgment -- HIGHLY RECOMMEND/RECOMMEND/CONSIDER/PASS (circle one) -- I rate 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button':
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
Next up: 'Gran Torino'
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