Magical

Rating: Null/10 (26 April 2009)

Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (2008)
**** (out of 4)
David Fincher's latest tells the story of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), a man who ages backwards with various consequences throughout his life. If Forrest Gump was about a simple man doing extraordinary things then Button is a extraordinary man doing simple things. This was the last of the five Best Picture nominees for me to watch and I must admit that going into the movie the entire storyline left me rather skeptical to say the least. I really wasn't sure what to expect since the film sounded like Forrest Gump 2 and while the two films share a lot in common this one here is remarkable enough on its own to really pack a terrific punch. Button doesn't do anything overly special in his life except live and fall in love and these simple things are what makes the film so memorable. Clocking in at close to three-hours I must say that I hoped the movie would keep going as not once did it feel overlong or as if the story was running out of things to say. I think the most interesting thing is that director Fincher really paces the film in a way to where the viewer can see Button's life unfold but at the same time have the viewer wonder what they would have done under the same circumstances. The way Button learns to live and love makes for plenty of great drama as well as plenty of laughs but that the same time it's quite remarkable at how touching and uplifting all of it is. The special effects in the film are also quite remarkable because there never take away from the story that's going on. The are various effects being used with the CGI looking great in recapturing the look of the 1920's and 1930's. The real special effects come in how they get Pitt to look like a child, an old man and back to a kid. The visual effects used here, and I'd be lying if I said I understood them, are quite remarkable to look at but again, what's most remarkable is that they don't take you out of the story. A lot of credit also has to go to Pitt who turns in another great performances. One can only imagine what was going through his head as he tried to come up with the various emotions that would go into a role like this. I mean seriously, how does one prepare to have the body of a 80-year-old man but the mind of a baby? Is there some special class to take about having the brain of an 80-year-old yet the body of an infant? Pitt nails everything his character goes through and that includes the terrific vocal work that he must tackle throughout the film. The supporting players, Julia Ormond, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton and Taraji P. Henson all deliver excellent supporting work but there's no question that the film belongs to Pitt. Some might balk at the film saying life doesn't work this way and perhaps that's true but a lot of the film is a fantasy but one written so close to human nature that it's not hard to imagine what you see is set in a reality. If I could have changed anything about the film it would have been how the story is told as Blanchett's character is on her death bed going back through a diary of Button's. I think the story could have been told straight but this is just a minor issue. When the credits finally started I couldn't help but feel incredibly moved by what I had just seen and this is certainly one of the year's best.