Life In Reverse

Rating: 10/10 (25 December 2008)

It's Christmas Night. I have just returned from seeing what is easily the Best Film of 2008, and though there are some heavyweight contenders (or so I've heard), they would all have to go pretty far to beat THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMNIN BUTTON. I have seen MILK, and as close as that comes to taking the cake, it still has its work cut out for it when being compared to this bizarre, engrossing and ultimately moving tale of the life of one extraordinary man.
David Fincher (SE7EN, ZODIAC, THE GAME, FIGHT CLUB) has just officially floored me. He would be the last director whose name would come to my mind when seeing a character- driven tale of such life-affirming power. Spielberg, yes; Chris Columbus, probably; Rob Reiner or Ron Howard, without a doubt, but David FINCHER? This movie is going to change his fortunes as a director.
But not his alone. Brad Pitt officially joins the company of Newman, Redford and other memorable screen hunks whose status looms large in our consciousness not just as matinée idols, but as real ACTORS. As for Cate Blanchette, I've never doubted her acting ability, and she matches and compliments Brad scene-for-scene with a grace and subtlety that makes her other work pale by comparison. And for her, that is a stunning achievement.
As for the rest of the cast, they all make me glad that I am not a voting member of the Academy: Taraji Henson (HUSTLE AND FLOW), Jason Flemyng (INDIAN SUMMER), Jared Harris, the luminous Tilda Swinton...I would never be able to single out just one of them as "best", because each brings their own special 'something' to the table that this tale would've suffered so greatly without. Eric Roth, who did such an amazing job with the screenplay for FOREST GUMP has triumphed again, and this should be reflected at Oscar time as well.
I don't want to give away a lot of the details, and even if I tried, I don't want to dilute your experience of seeing this film with some mundane attempt to describe how wonderful, sad, hysterically funny and moving it is overall. Simply saying that BENJAMIN BUTTON is the story about a man who lives his life in reverse, is like saying that ROOTS was the story about a slave. Or GONE WITH THE WIND was about a war. Or CITIZEN KANE was about a man who ran a newspaper.
The less you know going in, the more astonished you'll be when you have seen this in its entirety - the FIRST time. Don't be daunted by the nearly three-hour running time. Like the best parts of your own life lived, it goes by in the blink of an eye.
Well, mercifully, I will cut my senseless babbling short here. I only ask, no, BEG you to be sure not to wait for the DVD. Let that be the fate of all other movies you see from this year. But this one? Get to a theater and see it NOW. And take family and friends as well. It's the best holiday present you will give them....EVER.