Leave the Inner Computer at Home

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2009)

Nothing computes in this movie, but my overall rating is for the mythical, magical feeling it generates. It is simply gorgeous to look at with little side trips to nowhere to titillate the senses - the man being struck by lightening seven times, the stay in Russia, the battle at sea.
I didn't read the reviews, as the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story on which it is based is one of my favourites even though speculation has it that is was originally a story of Zelda's, his troubled wife.
I'm glad I didn't, as it is one of those movies which either gets you or doesn't. It got me and most of the crowd that were in the theatre at the Saturday night showing I was at.
The premise is weird but is underlaid at the outset with the premise of a backward clock invented by a father who lost his son in WW1, a man trying to make sense of his loss. Wishing to roll back time. So a man is born old but with the sensibilities of a baby.
Along the way he is rejected by his father, mothered by a black woman, has a connection with a 10 year old child who later turns into the love of his life as their ages fall into synchronicity.
The love story arc is predictable and haunting, scenes of Paris and New Orleans are CGI'd beautifully as is the spectacular dancing of the lead, Cate Blanchett.
The two stars, Brad Pitt and Blanchett do an admirable job of portraying the star crossed lovers and the makeup artists will surely get an award for the work it must have taken to both age and youthify the two.
Tilda Swinton as an older lover of Benjamin is outstanding, breathtaking in her performance.
The story is of course predictable and as some pointed out Forrest Gumpish. But sometimes you just have to suspend the disbelief metre.
The not compute thing?
****SPOILER ALERT****
(1)Why on earth did he leave when he was 47 when the child was one and the mother was 43? He would have only been 29 when the child was fully raised?
(2)Why didn't he know his mother was dead?
(3)Why was his sister dropped from the plot and his life?
(4)Why did his father look so young when he was meant to be dying at a good old age?
(5)Why on earth did the child Daisy become attracted to an old man?
(6)Why didn't Daisy have a relationship with her own daughter. ie. the daughter didn't know her mother was a famous dancer in her time?
(7)Why did the youthifying of Benjamin seem to accelerate to the point that he looks 19 when his daughter is maybe 12?
(8)Wasn't Caroline aware of her mother taking care of the child Benjamin for 5 YEARS?
And many more, too long to list.
****END OF SPOILER ALERT****
Overall: it engaged me with the story treated as mythical (hummingbird as leif motif)and based on love lost, regained and love lost again. Anyone looking for an exploration of the cult of aging and eternal youth will be sorely disappointed.
And:Oscars will be given.
8 out of 10