The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Fincher's films are usually a little longer than standard Hollywood fare. I think they benefit from the slower pacing, as the atmosphere is absorbed a lot more by the viewer...
 
I have to say I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping to. The acting was great and there were a few scenes I really enjoyed.
I did feel very uncomfortable though at certain parts, especially at the end.
In a way, I wish they'd finished it in the dance studio when he could see all was ok with her and that he'd made a good decision (like others have pointed out though, there were some inconsistencies with his decision). I found the ending really ruined it for me.
 
I saw Benjamin Button last night. I think it is the best film of the year, a classic movie that will be loved and debated for generations. It's not for everyone - it's long and episodic, a grown up intelligent film full of sophisticated references and analysis of human nature through fantasy. It began not at all as I was expecting and I thought this is going to be dull, I'll never buy this. 3 minutes in and I was absorbed. When it was over I had laughed out loud, been deeply moved and my mind raced with thoughts of my own life, of the people I have met in it, and our mortality.

It ought to be a small film, a little oddity. It could very nearly have been cringemakingly dire, it's such a bizarre and hard to swallow idea to pull off overall and in certain sections. And with Hollywood handling it, it could have been schmaltzy, Disneylike and embarrassingly twee or just downright laughable. I'm surprised any of the main actors took it on actually.

Instead, it is a classic fable, a Grimm's fairytale of life and death and pain and flaws, of a fun idea that you might wish for yourself, only to see it turn, first to a bind, then to a curse. It's a superb piece of crafted storytelling by a master writer Eric Roth, astonishingly beautifully filmed, located and dressed and superbly acted. It's filled with special effects you don't notice for a second because this is all about character and storytelling. There isn't really a wrong moment in it. Each decade of the last 90 years is perfectly caught, unforced.

It's partly a picaresque structure - that is it follows one character who through their life meets lots of others in short episodes that then finish. This type of story works well in 18th century romps but can just seem like a boring list in a movie. It doesn't here - the casting is superb and the incidents are all wonderful without exception.

The revelation to me here was Brad Pitt who suddenly emerges as a fine charactor actor of real depth. In the early scenes he plays a little boy inside the body of a very elderly man and is absolutely fascinating and loveable. By the end of Brad's scenes he is aged about 20 on the outside, 65 inside. He looks incredible, downaged 20 years, though it is harder to discern the older more experienced man inside. His scenes with Tilda Swinton are the best in the film, little snippets of a relationship out of an Evelyn Waugh novel, brilliant.

I think this is going to get a lot of nominations. Whether it will win a lot is hard to say as I can see that it will polarise audiences into those who love it and those who hate it.
 
That was my biggest problem with the film, it kind of ruined it from there on as it seemed to make hollow all the previous things that were said and done. Especially when he ended up travelling the world, it just seemed pretty selfish rather than an act of love. Particularly as you say he'd have had more than enough time to contribute as a father and partner to the woman he supposedly adored, especially as he had been abandoned etc by his father, it just contridicted everything in the film up to that point
 
Watched this last night.. I actually wasn't sure how I felt about it until it was finished. It was only afterwarRAB that the bitter-sweet perfection of the story really hit me. It's really strange to watch a movie where you get the happy ending you wanted, but it comes in the middle, and is somewhat fleeting. I do agree the story meandered excessively in parts, but overall the character development was captivating and the acting superb, so the running time doesn't come close to being fatal.. A very special movie- would totally recommend it!
 
Maybe it was me, but I found the movie a little tedious in parts. Something was not right about the acting and the narrative, but I can't seem to put my finger on it.
I had exactly the same vibe while watching Artificial Intelligence and IRobot years back.
 
The ending of AI was wrong... should have ended when he was frozen in animation looking at the fairground Snow queen (or whatever). That packed emotional punch... the actually ending appeared tacked on IMO..

I preferred iRobot.

This film had a lot of similarities to FG, a film I find sentimentalist tosh and jingoistic to boot!:rolleyes:

Apart from the rather massive plot flaw I found this very enjoyable... I dont think Brad Pitt deserves an Oscar for it though.. exactly how challenging was this role?? The SPECIAL EFFECTS/CGI DEFINATELY deserve an Oscar though!!;)
 
Just back from cinema - hated it.
Self indulgent - too long - Brad gives usual dull, lacklustre performance. Cate Blamcett is beautiful but the accent was awful..
But what a great reminder of how hot Brad was in his younger days!
 
The only thing putting me off this film is Brad Pitt, who I don't like (as a person OR an actor). The only thing I've seen him in which he is remotely bearable is Fight Club.

I will see it though. Just have to get around to it.
 
Does he? There are three actors that play Benjamin before Brad takes over. He doesn't start playing the role till 1938 when the character is 20.
 
TCCOBB - Have to say what a truly remarkable and beautiful film. I really enjoyed it! I'd probably watch it again just to take everything in all over again.

The film didn't feel long to me at all although it was a little slow in parts and i think it could have been cut by at least 10mins.

Brad Pitt's acting i'm afraid i didn't feel was award winning despite his nominations, Cate Blanchett however i thought was and i'm surprised she hasn't been nominated but i think she's been outshone by better performances by actresses in other films.

The CGI and special effects were mesmerising and i loved the humour from the man who had been hit by lightning 7 times. Who'd have thought David Fincher could do schmaltz and do it so well! Impressive work by all!
 
Did anyone think the makeup where he was looking "younger" was weird... It was CAKED on!! I noticed a lot of that scene was in semi darkness, prob a visual device to disguise the makeup... or was CGI involved??
 
And you posted this three days into the new year. I take it you don't hold out much hope for the remaining 11 and a half months?
 
The worst, not to mention most horribly over-rated film to be released so far this year.

Throughout the painful 2h 46m running time I continually tried to force myself to sleep, rather than have to endure another second of the lifeless, 2-dimensional characters portrayed on-screen. A film devoid of any profound message (even though it tried to convince the viewer otherwise) and coming off as a VERY poor-mans Forest Gump.

Just hope it gets completely snubbed in all categories when the Oscars roll around.
 
Back
Top