Another good Fincher and Pitt partnership.

Rating: 8/10 (21 January 2012)

Although Brad Pitt takes on a supernatural role for the third time, I feel his grim reaper in "Meet Joe Black" still stands out, even surpassing his undead character in "Interview with a Vampire". That said, his Benjamin Button is not only off the wall, but in a subtle way proves a timeless message – No matter who you are or whatever you become, there is always a beginning and an end.
The story is narrated by a dying elderly lady, through the title character's journal. It begins one night in post World War I New Orleans when a hideous baby is born, extinguishing his mother's life as he begins his own. Aghast by this abomination, the father immediately abandons the infant hoping it would never see the light of day. But a kind hearted black woman finds and shelters the baby. Benjamin, as she names him, is a freak of nature as he is born old and frail with no apparent chance of survival. However, that doesn't stop her from raising him as her own. Then a strange thing happens, while learning to walk and talk, Benjamin starts to "grow" younger. As the years go by, he gradually becomes younger, while everyone around him are aging and dying. Along comes Daisy, an adolescent redhead who strikes an immediate bond with a very senior Benjamin. But their new found friendship is short as she pursues a career in professional dancing while Benjamin starts work as a sailor. As the years fly past, their paths cross many times until a point when they are almost the same age, allowing them to grab a moment in time, giving into a relationship both secretly hoped for. From here on the film takes on a darker tone and like Benjamin, suggests we have already seen the happy ending in the beginning.
"Forrest Gump" is one of my all time favorite movies but I couldn't help notice some uncanny similarities between these two films; starting with the Southern setting and the very Southern accents from several characters in both films. There are also mutual references to the violent hurricanes that frequent these US regions. Both Forrest and Benjamin are ridiculed and loathed from a young age, but go on to become legends of sorts. Sub-plots from both films blend with actual American history along with a short yet intense war scene. Finally, both films have an unrequited love theme that is reciprocated too late. Comparisons aside and without a doubt, the only thing more curious than Benjamin's inverted world is this intriguing story from the legendry Scott Fitzgerald. But adapting Fitzgerald's short story into a screenplay is the ingenuity of Eric Roth, the screenwriter behind "Forrest Gump". Even as an adaptation, the concept here is beyond original thanks to director David Fincher and his nuance as a master storyteller. It is always entertaining to have twists and turns in a good story, but an abstract story that also becomes believable as it is beautiful? From its phenomenal beginning to its profound ending, this story is about the frailty of humans and passage of time through our greatest emotions – love, yearning and loss; but not necessarily in that order.
If it weren't for the overrated "Slum Dog Millionaire", this film would have easily grabbed the "Best Picture" Oscar at the 81st Academy awards. Picturing how Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett would look when they get old is one of the reasons why this film did win an Oscar for "Best Makeup", amongst two other Academy Awards. Sharing intermittent screen time together, Pitt and Blanchett are perfectly cast with magnetic screen chemistry. Despite the makeup and cinema magic, this is Brad Pitt with his best foot forward and easily one of the best films of his career. Having worked with Pitt before, this epic film from Fincher will take up more than two hours of your time, but films like this are a rare achievement in contemporary cinema.