Long, but a touching and beautiful story

Rating: 10/10 (30 July 2009)

Benjamin (Pitt) is born and looks about 80-yrs old, the mother dies, and the father hustles it to another part if town. The baby is found, cared for and begins to grow younger as time passes.
I did my best not to watch this movie. I figured it would be something like the TV show Mork and Mindy and Johnathan Winters thing back in the day. I just didn't see any sense to it.
I was wrong. Oh, I still don't see any sense to it, but after watching it, I have come to see that it is a very touching and beautiful story, great cinematography and extremely well acted by all especially by Brad Pitt. And, if truth be told here, the dialogue wins too. It was fantastic, quiet, respectful, honest and, at times, offered many humorous lines.some of them the laugh-out-loud variety.
Yes, it is too long and to think that it came from a Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Must have been some story to have a movie last almost 3-hours. Looking back, I can see where many scenes could have been shortened, not cut out: shortened.
Now, how did this happen, how did Benjamin grow younger with time (and look like the Brad Pitt we know. Sorry, couldn't resist)? Well, it all had to do with a Clock-Maker making a clock in a big Railroad Station run backwards. He had lost a son in the war and the only way to bring him back was to reverse time. So there is your correlation and this gives us a very touching and beautiful story. That is what F. Scott Fitzgerald wanted to have happen. And, it did..in this story. But, he was also telling us that every life is precious. And, we benefited.
I would have voted this as Best Picture.
I came to think of another movie that took me a long time to watch too. FARGO. Now, it's part of my top ten as is this one. But, they could have shortened it some without taking anything away from it.
Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes, but really funny when Benjamin looking as old as he does has a hooker gasping for breath as she finds it hard to keep up. You just saw blankets moving. Nothing else. Nudity: Yes, briefly. Language: Yes, one F-bomb released late in the movie