The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Set in New Orleans, simultaneously taking place during Hurricane Katrina and the various decades leading up to it, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button opens with the elderly Daisy (Cate Blanchett) in the hospital and very near her death. She enlists her daughter Caroline (Julia Ormond) to read aloud from a thick diary written by one Benjamin Button. An unfamiliar twist has been added to what would otherwise be an interesting but unremarkable love story: Benjamin (Brad Pitt, with the aid of several other actor's bodies) is born the day the Great War ended as a wrinkled and grizzled baby showing all the signs of increased age, including arthritis and cataracts. His mother dies in childbirth, and his horrified father (Jason Flemyng) abandons him at a nursing home run by Queenie (Taraji P Henson) and her boyfriend Tizzy (the awesomely-named Mahershalalhashbaz Ali). She takes him in and raises him as her own. He grows bigger and slightly younger each year, surrounded by elderly people like himself. He meets Daisy when he's around 7 and she's 5 (though she looks 8 and sounds 30; played by Elle Fanning and I think voiced by Blanchett) and is instantly captivated. She visits fairly often (her grandma is a resident at the home) and they become good friends.

They meet multiple times throughout their lives, but not until they're in their 30's or 40's do they really come together. Until then, Benjamin works on a tugboat under Captain Mike (Jared Harris), who teaches him about the world, the sea, and women. He has an affair with cold and elegant Elizabeth Abbott (Tilda Swinton) and fights in the Navy during WWII. His father tracks him down and bequeaths to him a large house and prosperous button factory. Daisy studies ballet in New York and dances in Paris, enjoying a carefree and self-indulgent life before suffering a serious leg injury. Their romance finally fully blossoms and they live together for years. When Daisy gets pregnant, the seriousness of their future is made clear to Benjamin, who believes he cannot be a father with his condition. All this and much more is recounted over 166 minutes of flashbacks and occasional mother-daughter discussions.

The good: this film is stunningly beautiful, and as we all know I am a big sucker for visuals. The effects, the colours and tones, the costumes, the shots- just everything about it was sophisticated and detailed and lovingly handled. I also enjoyed the performances, especially Brad Pitt, by whom I am not always won over. Tilda Swinton was obviously the highlight, though her time onscreen was far too short. I liked the concept- it's fantastical enough to give the story uniqueness but not so out there that it's unrelatable. I also thought the frame story was interesting- Julia Ormond's character was very well done, and her relationship with her mother was touching.

The not-so-good: It was too freaking long, to be sure. It didn't necessarily drag, but there was much that could have been cut out or shortened. It doesn't seem to know if it should be Benjamin's life story, complete with many ups and downs, or purely a dramatic romance between him and Daisy. The more I reflect on the film and really think about the story, the more I realize that without the aging-backwards thing it wouldn't be particularly memorable.

I enjoyed the movie, finding it poignant and engaging. However I feel that if I saw it a second time I wouldn't be as interested since the newness of the visuals and narrative surprises would be gone. Nevertheless, it's a beautiful film with a special romance, and well worth seeing, even if only once.

3.5/5

Note: After a year hearing the same joke incessantly repeated at my expense, as well as further reflection upon the movie itself and my own way of rating movies (I think I've become more discerning in my ratings), I'm changing the rating to 3.5, because this movie was just ok. Whatever.