Really makes you think about how you live your life...

Rating: 6/10 (4 February 2011)

The movie begins with Daisy, a close friend of Benjamin Button since her childhood. Daisy is elderly now and in a hospital bed in feeble condition. Her grown daughter Caroline is in her room with her and she asks her to read the diary of a dear friend to her. This begins the story of Benjamin Button's peculiar life. It is a circle of life very different from that of which we are accustomed to. This circle of life includes living, loving and dying and is the basis for the theme of this movie. In every life, regardless of how it begins or how it ends, a person is faced with living, loving and dying in one form or another.
Benjamin's life begins with him being born with all the characteristics of a 70 year old man. There is little optimism that Benjamin will live long after his birth because of these characteristics that he already exhibits; which resembles a body slowly deteriorating. However; as we learn from the diary that is an account of his life, as others are aging and leaving this world, Benjamin is remarkably becoming younger.
Upon Benjamin's birth his mother Caroline dies and his father Thomas Button is so overwhelmed with the circumstances that he abandons his son Benjamin. Benjamin is found on a step at a senior home by a black woman named Queenie. Queenie raises Benjamin and loves him as if he were her own; regardless of his unusual aging process. The senior home is where Benjamin meets Daisy and they begin the story of their life.
Although this movie included a period of 2.5 hours there were many details untouched that would have made this plot stronger. This movie leaves to many questions unanswered. There was never a determination of Benjamin's disease or any attempt to cure it. It seemed strange that everyone was just willing to accept this disease and the progression of it without any effort to truly understand it. This was a very lengthy film; however this time was not adequately used and this contributed to a very weak plot that left the audience wondering why 2.5 hours was necessary to deliver this plot. The movie Forest Gump also has a theme based on a man's life but it had a stronger plot and did a better job of holding the audiences attention. The theme of living, loving and dying was one that everyone can relate to and was a strong point of this movie but it could have been done in less time with more detail.