Fincher and Pitt have done it Again!

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2008)

David Fincher has simply improved with every film he has done. He started off with the underrated Alien 3, then moved on to the mysterious Se7en, gave us his greatest hit with Fight Club, stayed strong with Panic Room, and, most recently, treated us with the chilling thriller Zodiac. Now, he gives us The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but you wouldn't know that Ficher directed it if you didn't see his name at the end of the film.
Once again, Fincher teams up with Brad Pitt, who portrays the title character. Pitt, who was terrific in Se7en and even better in Fight Club, portrays a character he dosen't usually portray. Benjamin Button is a tragic yet determined individual, who has the slight problem of aging backwards. Whoever did the CGI effects in this movie deserves an Oscar. Early on, Pitt portrays Benjamin Button as a seven year who looks like he's in his 80's. You will not believe that it is Brad Pitt under all that makeup and CGI.
As good as he is, Brad Pitt can't carry the film by himself. After all, he needed the respective help from Morgan Freeman and Edward Norton to make Se7en and Fight Club work. Fincher's male lead comes mainly from Jason Flemyng and Jared Harris. Flemyng does a convincing job as Benjamin's father. I didn't even recognize Flemyng, who I thought played a classic role in Guy Ritchie's Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. And Harris is terrific as Captain Mike, a man Benjamin befriends while working at sea.
Fincher also succeeds once again with his female lead. After working with Gwyneth Paltrow on Se7en, Helena Bonham Carter in Fight Club and Jodie Foster in Panic Room, Cate Blanchette is excellent. Cast as Benjamin's love interest, she is simply perfect. She has terrific chemistry with Pitt, especially in the touching scenes where she grows older and he grows younger.
Overall, a terrific film. If I have any complaints, I have to say, the film didn't know to quit while it was ahead. What could've been a nice two hour film is stretched out to nearly three hours. And the early scenes showing the wrinkled baby Benjamin Button are a tad disturbing to look at. But I will say this. I'm not the type of guy who loves all these "Oscar Worthy" flicks. But take my advice...trust Fincher and Pitt to work their magic all over again.