A good idea for a movie, wasted due to badly developed characters.

Rating: 4/10 (23 September 2016)

This movie was super inflated by advertising, created a huge expectation, and was partly a victim of it. They spoke of David Fincher like a first-class director, which I think he will never be. They spoke of the excellence of the cast, and in fact only two actors (Brad Pitt, the protagonist, and Cate Blanchett, with whom he makes an unlikely romantic couple) is that really deserve this adjective. Here in Portugal, people have a saying, which states that "presumption and holy water, each takes how much wants". I think it perfectly applies to this film or, at least, to the enormous publicity that was done to it.
The film adapts a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which I never read to judge. The script, by Eric Roth (writer of "Forrest Gump", a film that - surprise, surprise - has some similarities with this one) is far from being extraordinary. The problem with this story is the character development, particularly the main character, with which I personally never felt any empathy. Despite being a totally different person from all others, Benjamin Button is a man who does not show who he is. He just shows what he does, where he goes, etc. We never realize why he was born old and rejuvenate, or what the relationship of this with an old clock that gives the time backwards (we do not know if such a link exists). We never know his thoughts and all the psychology, potentially rich, of a person so different from the all the rest, its never revealed. And the same with all characters. This makes this film a superficial, impersonal story, that never touches us, excites us in a more close and personal way.
Technically, its a regular film, within what Hollywood has accustomed us. The make-up effects (in particular those that aged the young Button) pleased me, as the scenarios, and how they were able to actually fit in their times, and show the passage of decades. As for the work of the actors, it's good but not excellent. I think its difficult, with so poor characters, have an inspired performance. The effort of Pitt and Blanchett, however, deserves some merit.