The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Life isn't measured in minutes, but in moments

While The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was not the best film of 2008, it was certainly one of the most beautifully crafted films of 2008. So the 3 Oscar’s for Art Direction, Makeup, and Visual Effects were all well deserved.

Plot: A man’s life from the perspective of a character living under incredibly unique -- and unexpectedly difficult -- circumstances. Adapted from the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

* * * WARNING: mild spoilers ahead * * *

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was last year’s big budget Oscar nominee. It was well crafted, well written (for the most part), and well acted. Especially on Brad Pitt’s and Taraji P. Henson’s part. The story was both intriguing and compelling. However, there were a few elements that I particularly did not care for...

Cate Blanchett's character. First of all let me just say that I’m not too crazy about Cate Blanchett to begin with, and therefore I don’t think she was the best pick for that role. And since her role as Daisy, Benjamin's love interest, was one of the backbones of the story, I felt like her character was both somewhat poorly developed and poorly acted. Simply put -- I did not feel the sparks between Benjamin and Daisy. Cate Blanchett’s "Daisy" reminded me of a snobby and watered down version of Robin Wright Penn’s "Jenny" from Forrest Gump. I think Benjamin’s earlier love interest Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton) had more depth in her brief cameo. On that note, I believe the critics agree with me because Cate Blanchett did not recieve an Academy Award or a Golden Globe nomination either.

Hurricane Katrina. Another element that bothered me was hurricane Katrina. Why did screenwriter Eric Roth (whose other works include Munich and Forrest Gump) choose to add hurricane Katrina to the story? What was that all about? I got the feeling that he initially wanted it to lead somewhere but then decided to rewrite the ending and remove it from the story. Did anyone else get that idea? I had expected something to come out of it? Unfortunately nothing ever did.

"Getting struck by lightning" stories. Did anyone figure out the meaning and the purpose of Mr. Daws’ character’s “getting struck by lightning” stories? Could it be that even though he got struck by lightning seven times, he still lived and cherished (his) life? But what did that have to do with the curious case of Benjamin Button?!

167 min. And lastly...I did not care for the nearly 3 hour length of the feature. Rarely I enjoy 3-hour-films. They must really be something, for me to sit still for 3 hours and not lose attention. Scorcese's Casino was great, so was Coppola's The Godfather. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, however, could have easily been edited into 2 hours. Less inane love story, please!!

* * * * (four out of five) -- Far from flawless and not as good as Forrest Gump, but definitely worth watching! Great visual effects, makeup, and acting on behalf of Taraji P. Henson and Brad Pitt.


V.

Enjoyed The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? Viira recommends: Forrest Gump, Gone with the Wind, and Titanic.


Poster courtesy of http://www.impawards.com/
Technorati Tags: Technorati