The fantasy is only a detail in a stunning film about the wonder of life

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2009)

I had wanted to see "Benjamin Button" since I found out what it was about. I had read Fitzgerald's short story (the inspiration for this) and wanted to see just how that would transform into a three-hour film. Incidentally, the short story and film have very little to do with one another save for the title and a man named Benjamin Button who ages backwards.
Incidentally again, that curiosity turns out to be the least magical part of this amazing movie. The story begins at the end of the first World War. I imagine had the story began in modern times we would have watched something akin to a Discovery Channel medical mystery in which poor Benjamin is studied by a myriad of doctors and scientists along with a handful of others who also age backwards with every fascination focused on what in the world was going on. Not here. This is a story of a man's life first and foremost. The oddity of his age is merely a detail.
And that is where the magic truly comes in. I happen to be a sucker for the story that inspires me to live life to the fullest. If Benjamin is such a freak, why is it that so much of his life is relatable? Love, adventure, family, loss? I'll step away from the sentimental now. This is a finely crafted gem of a movie with first-rate acting and a direction style that prefers to mosey along with random tangents to backwards clocks and men struck by lightening. Frankly, I walked into the threatre expecting something depressing. Save for the theme of life that always seems to include death and loss, this was quite charming and even funny in spots.
I thoroughly enjoyed "Benjamin Button". It is a beautifully made film with a stellar story. I don't know if it will be up for anything in particular when the Oscars come around, but it was satisfying, haunting, and therefore should deserve something. Bravo, all those involved.