Synopsis:

"I was born under unusual circumstances." And so begins 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918 to the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be. Benjamin Button is a grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time.

The Freak's Rating: C- : Suspension of disbelief is something I pride myself on.  I can hear all the reviews my friends, family and fellow film critic's spew and still go into any film fresh.  Expectations for most on BB are high, so hopefully my review can be useful before they throw down their hard-earned cash for a ticket.  Films focusing on age (Cocoon, Big, etc...), regardless of the stage of life, are appealing to everyone.  Quite simply, we all are born young, grow up, become adults and ultimately die.  If you can capture any or all stages of life nicely as a filmmaker, you'll get the public attention.  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button does so in an interesting way, by analyzing what life might be like if you aged backwards, born old and dying young.

Before you go out and see this film though, I'd ask you to consider if you might have already seen it (LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD).

Guess it yet?  Eric Roth is the screenwriter for Benjamin Button, adapting it from a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Roth has another film in his resume that seems eerily similar...Forrest Gump.  Need a couple more to convince you?  Forrest went to find Jenny in the big city with a bouquet of flowers and she ditches him for the big city life.  BB does the same.  Forrest, after years of going around the world, became an owner of a large corporation (Apple) and was instantly wealthy, though still lived quite modestly.  BB does the same (button factory).

So with all the copying you'd think it is a great script, right?  You'd be wrong.  There is little romance instilled between Benjamin and Daisy at all (with the exception of Daisy's pretty blue eyes).  There is no doubt an unwillingness to show much as it does have a hint of pedophilia due to the age difference.  Yet we are to believe that a love is so strong between these two characters that it stands the test of wars, years of living overseas, etc...  We are also to believe that there is no communication between Daisy and her daughter about her dancing experience as the only American invited to dance with the Bolshoi, yet we are shown a time period where Daisy's dancing school existed at the same time as her daughter was a teenager.  Her daughter also acknowledges that she remembers it!  Don't you think you'd have put your dancing experience on the brochure for dance class or perhaps discussed it at dinner?

Acting is mediocre for Pitt.  At one point in the film he appears to simply be playing himself.  Benjamin is given little warmth to actually pull you into his world and care about him.  Pitt is far more capable, but this script just regurgitates the same old same old and he has little to work with.  Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett are fantastic as two of the women in Benjamin's life and merit Oscar nominations.  Cinematography and art direction are also nicely done here.

The originality just isn't there with BB.  Gump had a wonderful score and the music here is quite flat.  Gump was a lovable character and Benjamin just seems like Brad Pitt.  He is two dimensional for 99% of the film, with about 3 minutes having him make interesting life-lesson observations.  You can't force the magic like the writers, directors and even the cast are trying to do here.  It either exists or it doesn't.  I am all for formulaic cinema.  Romances, war movies and most comedies follow formulas.  But this is a copy...and not a good one.

Sue's Rating: B : Excellent movie.  While I do see the similarities to Forrest Gump, I still think it is a great movie.  Pitt did an excellent job of portraying the characteristics of an old man and the while the ending was predictable, it was still definately worth seeing.

Joyce's Rating: C : I felt the acting was poor in this film. Brad Pitt was unable to portray the character of BB as lovable and endearing, which I kept waiting for. He came across stiff and uncomfortable in the role. I agree totally with "The Freak"

Jen's Rating: C+ : This was a decent movie.  Again, could have been so much better!  I completely agree with Scott about all the Forrest Gump stuff, didn't even notice it until he told me about it afterwards but now it's very clear.  I also agree that when Benjamin was in his 20's and 30's he looked too Brad Pittish and it didn't fit into his character well. 

Elizabeth's Rating: B+ : I really enjoyed the movie. It was a little difficult not to notice the similarities Forest Gump, when others mention it ahead of time. I went in with an open mind. I think Brad Pitt did an excellent job in this movie. I do agree that the end was predictable but I think in a way it was meant to be that way. I would definitely recommend to others.

Alex's Rating: A- : I was blown away by this film. I am not usually into fantasy films, in fact I usually loathe them. But this is a true epic.

It is the story of a man who is born old and ages backward, ironically dying of young age, although technically 85 years old.

The plot is very good, and in fact there is much more to it than that. There is a surreal (albeit beautiful) sub plot of a blind clockmaker who designs a clock which operates backwards, in a hope that it may bring back those who died in WW1, his own son included. Benjamin spends a lot of his time at sea, and halfway through the film, there is a fantastic, action packed sea battle.  

Also, there is a terrible hurricane at the end. Why they included this I do not know, but I'm sure there is a reasonable answer.

The film is not solely about a man aging backwards. It is a stunning romantic tragedy, documenting the love of Benjamin and Daisy. They meet as children, and are very good friends. Alas... he appears still to be around 70. As time moves on, she becomes a professional ballet dancer, and he joins the Navy. They become lovers, but distant lovers, until a freak accident brings them together. They travel together, share experiences, and have a fantastic sex life. Finally, they reach the point where they look exactly the same age, and at this point, Daisy reveals that she is pregnant with Benjamin's child. Knowing that he will never be a good father due to the fact that he is getting forever younger, he leaves Daisy, wishing for his child to have a proper father. In the end, Benjamin cannot grow any younger, and Daisy is very old. The "baby" of 85 dies in her arms.

The film is very creepy and disturbing. The relationship of Benjamin and Daisy is grotesque and beautiful at the same time. At one point, they are like grandfather and granddaughter, then lovers, then grandmother and grandson.

A major theme in the movie is death. By age and accident. Just about every single character dies. This theme, however, has a moral. We have to lose those those who we love, as it is a reminder of how important they are to us. Also,the film reminds us that life is only short, and we should be thankful for what we have.

The film is serious and tragic, yet there is a fair amount of humour. An old man repeatedly claims to have been struck seven times by lightning. Every time he says this, a hilarious, almost cartoonish clip of someone being hit by lightning follows. Hysterical.

The acting is first class, and you really feel for the characters. Brad Pitt is oscar worthy, and this is an epic performance.

The film is huge in America, and I can see why.

The plot, visuals and special effects are astonishing. This accompanies the acting and plot well.

Also, the pacing is terrific. It never feels slow, even at 166 minutes. The scenes follow on well, the plotline flowing very smoothly. It is an intricate, enjoyable, ironic, clever and satisfying story, that has to run for a long time to give audiences the finest experience. Most modern audiences turn their noses up at long films. However, the only reason that they are so long, is because they have better, worthier and more satisfying stories to get across. This film is a brilliant example of my statement. Other examples with which I could back up this statement with are "Australia" and "Gone With The Wind". The list goes on, ad infinitem!

Altogether, this is a remarkable triumph of a film. A fantastical romantic tragedy that you would be crazy to miss!

Jeff's Rating: F : This movie is crap.  And it deserves to be denounced as crap.  I came very close to writing a review as soon as I finished watching it several months ago, but I figured the movie had already wasted three hours of my life.  Did I really want to waste additional time telling people what a waste of time it is?  Actually, it wasted four hours of my life if you include the post-watch head-shaking.  
 
This isn't the worst movie I've ever seen.  Objectively, it probably deserves a D.  I'm giving it an F on the biblical principle of "To whom much is given, much will be required."  This was not a first-time effort by a no-name director.  It was put together by a respected director with lots of cash.  It was critically well-received.  It led the films for the year, in terms of Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.  It was praised to the skies...yet stunk to high heaven.  For this reason, it deserves the lowest grade possible to serve as a warning to all.
 
There are so many things to dislike about this movie.  The plot was derivative.  Although based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story, the beginning seemed to be borrowed from Back to the Future (a far superior film in every way).  The rest of the movie was Forrest Gump II: Revenge of the Insipid.  I actually paused the movie at one point and checked the Web to see who directed it because its annoying saccharine and platitudinous tone reminded me so much of Gump.  It wasn't the director; it was the screenwriter who did both movies.  As Scott--Elder, not Fitzgerald--puts it: "Awful, flat-out awful."  
 
The big stars are wasted.  Brad Pitt's acting is laughably wooden.  Maybe he was told to emote with such a limited range, but the technique fails completely.  None of the main chracters are likeable, so you reach the end of the movie not caring what happens to anyone.  It's just a relief to have the thing finally finish.  The only likeable character is Benjamin's foster mother and she doesn't have much screen time.  
 
The reactions to strange events by the characters in the movie are not believable.  Everything rings false.  Human beings would not act like this, given the circumstances depicted, so all the emotional button-pushing adds up to zilch.  The pacing is glacial.  
 
The only good scenes were at the very beginning and the very end.  The closing scene evoked a little true pathos, but you can get a hundred times bigger emotional pay-off watching any scene of Shawshank Redemption, so there's no need to bother with this movie.  Why spend hours searching through a garbage dump for a quarter when much more valuable things are more easily obtained elsewhere?

Brian's Rating: B- : There is already very good commentary on this movie from all the previous reviewers. The movie does eek into the recommendation category for me since I can identify a good portion of people I know who would enjoy it. The movie is actually well constructed, well edited, and well directed. It falls short in the writing/screenplay, just as others on this site have already noted

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