A beautiful Hallmark Greeting Card

Rating: 4/10 (25 December 2008)

From a visual point of view, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is superb. Through the use of digital effects, the past (beginning with Armistice Day, 1918) is brought to life in an extremely realistic way. But unfortunately 'Button' is nothing more than a series of beautiful images. Its story is truly an empty vessel, shallow and ultimately lacking in drama.
'Button' is the story of an infant who is born as an old man and ages backward. It's really a fable of sorts and it's not intended to be based completely on real history. Hence, from the very beginning, the viewer is forced to accept its absurd premise.
The screenplay was written by the same writer responsible for "Forrest Gump" and the stories are strikingly similar. They both focus on an odd protagonist who doesn't fit into mainstream society. They both go through a series of adventures that shape the protagonist's character. Benjamin Button is even more passive than Gump. Everything happens to him and he initiates very little.
While 'Button' is a fable, history is still given short shrift. It's a film that pretends to encompass the entire sweeping arc of American history from World War I to Hurricane Katrina. History however is only alluded to through brief asides (like FDR's Pearl Harbor speech on the radio or the Beatles popping up on TV). Although Button is reared in New Orleans during the Jim Crow days, the issue of racial prejudice is never dealt with.
If you were to take away the entire 'gimmick' of this film, the novel idea of a man aging backward, you're left with a story that isn't even half as good as some of those Douglas Silk melodramas of the 40s and 50s. All the characters in Benjamin Button are weak and completely underdeveloped as people. What do we find out about the British woman Benjamin Button is having an affair with while he's staying in Russia? Nothing except that her husband is a spy. Button has an affair with her. So what! And what of Kate Blanchett's Daisy? She's another bore who's a ballet dancer, is hit by a car ruining her career and eventually getting married to another man. Why should we care about any of these characters? I ended up spending much more time paying attention to how the filmmakers applied their special effects to Brad Pitt's face than concentrating on the story. If one ends up concentrating mainly on the special effects to the detriment of the story, I think it's safe to say that 'Benjamin Button' is a failure.
I'm willing to give this film four stars due to its magnificent art design, music and overall look. Given its plodding plot and pessimistic view of life (Button ends up with Alzheimer's!), the Academy Award for Best Picture is not a lock. Let's hope it's soundly voted down!