Dec 31 2008
Review: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
When The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was nominated for several awards a few weeks ago, it made me curious. The film hadn’t been released yet, and it wouldn’t be until Christmas Day. How can a movie that isn’t even out yet receive such critical acclaim and praise. Brad Pitt and the movie itself have been nominated for a Golden Globe and several other awards. An Oscar nomination is also not out of the question.
After seeing the movie for myself, I can see why the film is getting all of this good praise. The movie may not have topped the box office this weekend, but it is the best movie I have seen released into theaters in quite some time. I don’t say those words easily. I’m a picky movie watcher, but Brad Pitt’s performance in this movie really stood out. He is in the movie almost completely throughout.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the story of a man that is born with the body of an eighty year old man. As he grows up, he ages backwards. We see him go through life, learning about the world with the outlook of a child in a body of a much older man. Everyone that doesn’t know him for what he is sees an old man, and that is how he is treated. He meets the love of his life at the age of ten, and the movie chronicles their journey in life.
Cate Blanchett plays his lover, and we see her life throughout the movie as well. It is because of her we learn his story and hers as she has their daughter read to her from Benjamin’s journal in her final hours. The setting for most of the film is the city of New Orleans. The present day setting is those days when Hurricane Katrina hits the city in 2005. We see Daisy take her final breaths just as the news of levees breaking in the Lower Ninth Ward is heard.
In some small way, Brad Pitt was paying respect to this city and the events that occurred in 2005. So much of his work since has been in putting this city back together with his Make It Right organization. I do believe Brad Pitt might very well win for this movie. It is one of his best performances, and the movie is memorable. With the length of nearly three hours, one might be ready to be bored to death. This one kept me involved from beginning to end. An excellent movie deserving of every praise.
that hair and makeup making pitt look old is scary. i have no interest in seeing it partly for that reason. he looks like gollum. icky.