A moving look at life

Rating: 8/10 (29 July 2009)

The film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the story of a man named Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), who is born in New Orleans, at the height of World War One, in 1918, as an old man who ages backwards. His body ages backwards but his mind is completely instep with the age he should actually be. The film was adapted from the 1921 short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The theme of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is living life to the fullest using the cards you were dealt. Life isn't always perfect but you should really make the best of every situation. In the movie, Benjamin says "I hope you live a life you're proud of. If not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again." Benjamin realizes he is different from other people but he really doesn't let his circumstances hinder him from living life. Although Benjamin is born an old man he defies odds by living despite everyone's belief that he would die quickly. He experiences many of the things a normal individual would go through. He travels the world working on a tugboat, he falls in love with a girl named Daisy (Cate Blanchett), and he experiences death. No matter where any of us start, we always end up at the same place, death.
This movie will truly make an individual think twice about their life. Everyone is always so caught up in their own circumstances that they don't appreciate what they have. It's important to be thankful for what you have been given in life.
The theme of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button could be compared to that of 1994's Forrest Gump. Much like Benjamin, Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) defies odds to truly live life through various experiences.
In the movie a great amount of makeup was used to change the appearance of Benjamin. Before seeing the film I was really curious how the changes would be developed. In the beginning of the movie, Pitt starts out as an old man which required quite a bit of makeup. Pitt had white hair and wrinkles put on him so that he would appear to be well into his 80's. I thought the changes were very effective. Despite Pitt's real age, I was able to believe he was older. Later in the film, Benjamin Button begins to get younger. He is going through a reverse aging process. Although Pitt is still an attractive man at his age of 45 he needed to look like he was in his 20's. Makeup was used to make Pitt appear younger. I believe that camera angle's also Played a big role in making Pitt appear younger therefore I can't claim that the makeup was the sole reason for his younger look.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a moving film whose theme will stay with you long after you have stopped watching. After watching the movie you may find yourself thinking about how you can actually experience life. This film will make you want to go out and live life to the fullest.