Review: Benjamin Button is powerful storytelling
December 29th, 2008 at 9:03 am by Laff at the Movies under Entertainment
Powerful storytelling and amazing performances make The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a lock for academy award contention.
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett lead a great cast of actors that capture their characters so well, you forget you’re watching actors.
The uniqueness of the concept makes the movie very intriguing and there’s also a Forrest Gump (1994) quality about this movie, but its not as uplifting and triumphant.
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
(2008) (rated: PG-13 for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking) (2 hrs, 39 min)
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Tilda Swinton, Jared Harris
Director: David Fincher – Zodiac (2007), Panic Room (2002), Fight Club (1999), Se7en (1995), Alien 3 (1992)
Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Romance
The Plot: Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.
MY TAKE: This is clearly one of the best movies of 2008 with a great concept (aging backwards), great cast, great story, great makeup and costumes.
Pitt and Blanchett are great in their roles as their characters age in opposite directions, while keeping the personality and voice throughout. The rest of the cast is superb with characters that are well rounded with depth regardless of their screentime.
Benjamin Button is believable because it doesn’t make the mistake that most timeline movies make: with bad makeup or different actors playing the characters at different ages that don’t resemble the character. Its also told in a narrative style, so its clear what’s going on the story despite its 80-something year span of time.
The only negatives here are the overall somber tone to the movie and the length of the movie (2hrs, 39 min).
THE BOTTOM LINE: Benjamin Button is a great work of movie storytelling with a unique device that makes this a powerful movie that will stay with you for years… I give it 9.5 out of 10… and expect many awards to come its way.
So what did you think? Please post a comment!
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“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” poster courtesy Paramount Pictures
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Tags: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Jared Harris, Jason Flemyng, Julia Ormond, Laff at the Movies, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, movie, review, Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Tilda Swinton
Aaron Lafferty covers the film industry in West Michigan.
Favorite movies include Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Matrix, Clear and Present Danger, Tombstone, Rounders, The...
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I saw this movie over the weekend and cannot wait to see it again. Brad Pitt deserves and Oscar for sure. The whole story is absolutely marvelous and well worth paying the price twice
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I twittered my response to you, but it’s worth noting here too. I loved the movie. I’m a huge fan of everything Pitt/Fincher have done so far together. (Fight Club, Se7en) Now this, another superb effort.
There was a woman in my audience though that would have ruined a movie that wasn’t as good as this one. The kind of person who annoys the entire theater, and that you wonder why friends don’t speak up and tell them to shut up.
-Matt
Matt –
I’m glad you liked it… sorry about your experience with the one member of the audience. I wonder if we were at the same showing, because I’m pretty sure there was somebody in the back talking through most of the movie during the showing we went to as well.
Benjamin Button was very Fincher-esque… almost as good as his other stuff if not for some nagging plot holes
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