Impeccable acting with flawless film-making quality...

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2009)

Most of the movies I have seen, I can sum them up in a few words. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is one of those couple of films that I can't explain real well. If any word can define it, I would use the word unique, for everything in this movie is.
Plot wise, the film is a romance story, similar to "Titanic" in the aspect that it is told through flashback from a dying old lady named Daisy (Cate Blanchett wonderfully disguised in make up and with a fluent Southern accent) to her daughter (Julia Ormond) about her long lost love. Even though she tells the story, Brad Pitt narrates it and like Cate, he has a fluent Southern accent that he pulls off magnificently. I won't bother in giving the rest of the story since the movie trailers nail it down very well, but that doesn't give it the excuse not see it.
When I think the movie would end, it continues. This is not necessarily a bad thing; on the contrary it makes the movie unique. For a film that is almost three hours long, I was engulfed by it from start to finish. I will admit though there were times when I had to adjust my seating position.
Most of the romance films I have seen are great because of the chemistry between the male and female roles. This movie definitely has that, particularly on Brad Pitt's side. I'm not a huge Brad fan but I loved his powerful work in this film. People have criticized his character as a protagonist who doesn't do much and lets things pass him by rather than taking advantage of the moment, particularly in a scene where he has a chance to sweep Daisy off her feet but fails to do it.
I personally liked this about his character. He's a different kind of protagonist; he's passive, shy, yet humble and nice, often not sure how to react in certain situations when things are at stake. To me, that makes him all the more believable.
What's also nice about this film is that Brad and Cate don't steal the show like Gosling and McAdams did in "The Notebook." For a long movie, it's not all about them, there's breathing room for other characters to develop and enter the lives of the two leading roles. All of the actors, even Julia Ormond, who's only in the film for maybe fifteen minutes, add diligence to their performances.
Besides the acting, the technical aspects of the film were amazing. It was well photographed, edited, scored, and directed. The one thing I couldn't help but notice though in this film was that often, in wide shots of objects, such as people would be blurred like a 1920s/1930s movie. I don't know if this was the cinematographer's/director's intention or if this was the fault of the film projection at the theater I was in. In any case, this added an authenticity to the time period that film took place in.
David Fincher, (who I can't help but admire his work for "Fight Club") was the perfect choice for this film as the director. He uses so many different techniques that capture the film amazingly. I was particularly captivated by the long tracking shot he uses in a scene where a WWI battle unfolds. It is captivating to watch, especially when it all happens backwards, literally.
I also enjoyed the visual effects used in the film. It may seem that there aren't many, but believe me, there is and they are all subtle, like in "Forrest Gump". They are there but you can't notice them because they're that good. There is also some excellent costume and set- designs throughout the film, adding more to the authenticity of the time period, and the make up design, a definite Oscar there. It not only transformed Pitt and Blanchett into old people, but it made them become their characters. I have not seen such good make up since "The Elephant Man."
Despite the amazing acting and flawless film-making quality, I felt the story could have been much more. It was interesting that Benjamin was raised by a black family, (who ran an old folks home), yet there was no racism. In addition, when Ben was a kid, there was never a scene in which he tried to befriend other boys, just Daisy when he was eleven (even though an old man). I also did not understand some of the symbolism that was used throughout the film.
Overall, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is a unique, yet marvelous film that is a definite contender for the Oscars coming up in February. I don't give too many 10s, so I give this 9.