David Fincher deserves an Oscar nod

Rating: 8/10 (16 January 2009)

I really love movies with a narrated story that takes you through a lifeline. This entertained me like Tim Burton's "Big Fish" - just not as whimsical and with a slightly sadder ending.
Blanchett was great as the artist who lived "in the moment" before realizing that love doesn't stand still. A great performance as I could feel her pain of loss almost every minute she spent on screen.
I'm not convinced that Pitt deserves an Oscar nomination here although he does a fine job in a character that moves throughout the movie like an eager little boy on a candy store tour.
Ted Manson's character as an old senile story teller has the funniest lines in this movie as he continually describes the instances in which by he was struck by lightening throughout his life. I laughed out loud each time I saw him on the screen and say "Did I ever tell you that I was struck by..." While I have not read the F. Scott Fitzgerald short stories, the screen story and director deserve the acclaim here. This is an epic-like undertaking and the story moved like a good book does -- removing you from reality into a fictional world you some how believe is real until the credits roll. Fincher does a great job. Were it not for Slumdog's Danny Boyle, he'd be a slam dunk for Best Director. And same for Cinematographer.
I always love a movie that entertains with a solid story or leaves you walking out feeling grateful about the people in your life and encourages you to live more. This movie does all that.