Button is a Big disappointment

Rating: 4/10 (27 July 2009)

You can tell it is Oscar season when films like 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' are released, a film telling the story of a man born old, who ages backwards in almost a reworking of 'Forrest Gump' (both films sharing the same screen writer). The films premise does not really get any further than that, nor does it present any real insight allowing Benjamin Button or the audience to see things differently, or indeed develop into any sort of character. Instead we see the story of a fairly regular man experiencing a somewhat regular life for the time: growing up, going to war, falling in love and dying, and with very little said about Benjamin's condition.
While there may be people that say the focus of the film is the love story between Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett that is not the case as they never have any good chemistry on screen. Most of the appeal for Button comes not from the script or even the direction of David Fincher, but mainly the visuals of ageing effects. It is certainly not the performance of Pitt's career. From the director that gave us 'Fight Club', 'Se7en' and 'Zodiac' 'Benjamin Button' will come as a big disappointment.