Shallow, insignificant film jewelery

Rating: 4/10 (24 February 2009)

This year's biggest contender at the Academy Awards is an Academy film in every respect. It's star-packed, it's pompous, it's somewhat historically oriented and it's trying to make you cry your eyes out. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most insignificant films you'll see this Oscar season. The life of the Benjamin Button is, despite his weird aging complexity, not at all that unusual, or at least it shouldn't be. As he himself says at one point in the film, the only thing young about him is his looks, and only in Hollywood is looks considered to be character. The only motivation Benjamin has for anything seems to be a curiosity that is never explained, and we are expected to believe that it is by virtue of looking weird.
For a film about time, it's painfully little concerned about the times. Despite world travels and a multitude of other characters who actually seems to have a more defined place in time, Benjamin's story remains solely about Benjamin and his looks. For some reason (which we are supposed to believe is his condition), he doesn't seem to know what neither sex or war is at the age of 20 or so. We are supposed to sympathize with him for being a stranger to killing when he first sees it in the war, probably because he is not as old and experienced as he looks. But fact of the matter is that he was still older than millions of others who actually had to fight in the war, so I for one do not get any special sympathy for him.
The film is narrated to us by Benjamin, or rather read from Benjamin's journal by the daughter of his dying love interest. The framing story is completely pointless and only drags out the plot. The love aspect itself is the only thing that makes the story worthwhile, but that too is told pretty clumsily. At one point Blanchet's character tells Benjamin she never wants to see her again. But instead of letting us know any of the feelings involved, we are told that Benjamin went out and had fun with other women until Blanchet changed her mind and showed back up on his doorstep to ask for forgiveness.
Of course, as an Academy favorite, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is still a beautiful film to look at. It's cast is famous for a reason, and Fincher hasn't lost his touch either. It is just a shame how the story and characters (at least the main one) remain entirely superficial.