Benjamin Boredoms anticlimactic life story.

Rating: 5/10 (14 February 2009)

I agree with the masses comparing this to Forest Gump. There are many connections between these two archetypes. But Forest Gump did something that Benjamin Button could not do-he was able to get the audience to fall in love with his character. Even if it was a mockery, Forest Gump is still more of a house-hold name than Benjamin Button would ever hope to be.
This is not a review about Forest Gump. So I'll leave that to rest.
The character of Benjamin Button is played by a consistently dazed Brad Pitt. There was no crying of him losing someone, no sense of humor when comic opportunities arise or anything maddening coming from him when he should get angry. Benjamin Button merely represented the idea of a reverse aging southern gentleman. There was little texture to his personality even with a southern accent. Benjamin Button only remains a lifeless puppet of this movie.
Daisy portrayed by Cate Blanchett had some life in her. But her performance as an aging and struggling dancer/dance instructor can only do so much when her lover Benjamin is not providing the same mutual emotions as she has. The connection between the two was "so- so" and their epic romance made for a rather poor climax in the movie.
The story was grand and all as it shows Benjamin Buttons life during the 20th century. This movie has strength in showing many different scenes and atmospheres as it was appropriate to reflect on one's life story. The character development was real well done outside the protagonist Benjamin Button. The captain and crew of the tugboat, along with the nursing home folks who took him in, his lover in the Russian Hotel and Benjamin Buttons father were all nice additions in the movie. However, the character development and additions in the movie stopped around half to three quarters of the way.
The last fifteen minutes of this movie was absolutely agonizing. I felt the directing slapped it together out of uncertainty but it was mind numbing to watch.
The make up and visual effects made this movie credible in every way and this is perhaps its biggest strength. Age progression (or regression in this case), is flawless on Brad Pitt
I recommend watching this once just to see the movie as it is a visual masterpiece. Don't expect much more than the previews, the tip of the iceberg will only continue to show you its tip. Be prepared for bathroom breaks because this is one epic story. I agree with this movie being well deserved for Oscar awards for best screenplay and make up/visual effects. But Best Picture? I don't know about that...
You might like it or you might hate it. I thought it was a mixed bag.