The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Movie Review
I was wrong...
I successfully avoided seeing 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' at the cinema when it was released, assuming it was going to be a weepy chick-flick, of interest only to those who'd enjoy watching Brad Pitt get better and better looking through the movie. That's not me, but I was wrong.
The movie is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but I am ill-read enough not to have heard of it before, so I found the story original, detailed, and based on an interesting concept. I really was taken in by the plight of the title character, and watching Mr Pitt grow ever youthful through the story did add an extra dimension. There are also some parallels with the forthcoming 'Time Traveller's Wife', which is one of my favourite books. It will be interesting to compare the two when [finally] the other film is released.
It is often said "youth is wasted on the young", and this film could have gone a lot further to explore that idea, and also the implications of growing physically younger as those around you aged. However, at around 2 and a half hours duration, it was long enough (though it didn't feel too long). With such an original concept, I'm sure there was a lot of content that could have been added that wasn't.
There are some things in movies that make me uncomfortable. One is when the story is told from the perspective of another party, and when they storyline jumps back to them occasionally - I just don't like it unless it's central to the story; another is when I'm reminded of my own mortality. This film had both, the latter in bucket-loads. Altogether, I would recommend watching this movie. It was much better than I expected, but I'm still glad I didn't go to the movies to see it.
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Paul