The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Welcome to another installment of the "D" List.

Today's entry is the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The reviews for this film has been split. Some consider it a classic and some see it as an overrated film. My take on this film is a little from both sides. I in no way see this film as a classic but it's not a bad film either.

The plot of this film is very simple. Adapted from the great F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story, Benjamin Button tells the story of the birth of a child that in the most peculiar and unexplained fashion grows younger while everyone ages. The film follows Ben's life and how he manages to exist in a world where he is the only one of his kind.

There isn't much left about the story to tell in this film and in my opinion there in lies the problem. For the most part Benjamin spends his time adjusting to the world around him and experiencing life in reverse. The one mainstay subplot is the off and on relationship between him and his love interest Daisy played by Cate Blanchett which drags the film down. The inconsistency of their relationship was very detaching.

When they 1st meet Daisy is a little girl and Benjamin is a much older man and over the course of the film they would meet then lose touch then meet again then lose touch then meet again. There was too much of that and after a while you don't care anymore which is a shame because Brad Pitt's performance makes you care about Benjamin and what happens to him and the problem with this film is that it's so bogged down with nothing that when things do happen (and things do happen) to Ben it's not as powerful as it should be.
The ending does tug at your heart strings but sadly I was so taken away from the film that it didn't have the same effect that similar endings from other films for example The Green Mile had on me.

In my opinion the film struggles to have an identity but never gets there and that is a reflection of the director which is another shame because David Fincher is an extremely talented filmmaker. The one thing that Fincher does do very well is he gets the most out of his cast. The performances of everyone are fascinating highlighted but not Brad Pitt although he was great but by Taraji P. Henson as Queenie Ben's foster mother. She has gotten some oscar buzz for her performance and it is well well deserved. She infuses so much love for Benjamin despite not being his biological mother and the fact that he looked so old as an infant. To her Ben was a miracle than a monster and she brought that across very powerfully.

Overall The Curios Case of Benjamin Button was a decent film but I was expecting a great film and maybe my expectations hurt the experience watching it. I give it a C and a half hearted recommendation.

Hope you enjoyed my take on CCOBB. My next review will be Defiance. Edward Zwick's tale of Jews evading nazi capture in Germany occupied Bellorussia

Until Next Episode.....I'll save you a seat.

"D"