Fincher's Curious Case hits the right buttons

By Faheem Ahmed     1/8/09 6:00pm

Most people don't realize that the success of a film depends heavily on when it is released. The fact that action movies dominate the box office in the late spring and summer is no coincidence. The major audiences for that genre are kids and teenagers who have just gotten out of school. Thrillers and horror movies do best in October (probably thanks to Halloween), romantic comedies and family movies are heavy in November (Thanksgiving) and Oscar-contending dramas flood in during December.The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is no exception to the movie-debut calendar rule. It's hard to imagine this film being released at any point in the year other than Christmas. The movie's magical aura fits quite nicely with the spirit of the holiday season.

The film chronicles the extraordinary life of Benjamin Button (Burn After Reading's Brad Pitt), who is born as an old man and becomes younger every year. His story is told in a diary read by Julia Ormond (Sabrina) at the request of her dying mother, Cate Blanchett (Babel), right before the onset of Hurricane Katrina.

As an infant, Benjamin is left at the doorstep of a home for the elderly by his father, who considers him a grotesque abomination. Queenie, played admirably by Taraji P. Henson (Hustle & Flow), takes Benjamin under her wing and cares for him.

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During his early years, Benjamin looks like the old folks in the home, only smaller. As those around him die and waste away, Benjamin grows stronger, taller and younger.

One day, he meets Daisy (Blanchett), the granddaughter of one of the tenants, and he deems her the love of his life. The rest of the film is devoted to Benjamin's efforts to be with Daisy despite the difficulties of his miraculous condition.

The message of the movie is that nothing lasts forever. As its tagline states, "Life isn't measured in minutes, but in moments." Benjamin is forced to watch everything around him go through the natural cycle of life while he lives in reverse. Although this is exceptionally tragic and lonely, he values each event in his life more as a result.

Pitt turns in a very solid performance as the lead character, continuing to surprise viewers with his versatility. As a child in an old man's body, Pitt is extremely believable and infuses his frail body with an appropriate youthful spirit. One major criticism, however, is that when his appearance becomes much younger, his personality regresses as well. One would think that he would have the mind and character of an old man by the time he appeared to be in his twenties; if he were acting like an infant in the body of an old man, then the reciprocal condition also should have occurred.

Blanchett is absolutely beautiful as Daisy, an aspiring ballet dancer and the object of Benjamin's infatuation. Pitt and Blanchett have an on-screen chemistry that is realistic and pulls at the heartstrings.

Direction and cinematography set The Curious Case of Benjamin Button apart. Director David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) has a knack for molding landscape and scenery to fit the spirit of a film perfectly. The CGI is especially breathtaking. Movie technology is progressing at leaps and bounds, and though making Pitt and Blanchett look like teenagers and crippled senior citizens is no easy feat, it appears seamless.

This movie will most likely garner a Best Picture nomination, but it does not deserve an Oscar. Although length is not an issue overall, stretches in the middle tend to drag. Tilda Swinton (Adaptation)'s character as Benjamin's first romantic fling adds little to the movie. Nor does the film force the audience to experience the emotional gamut that Forrest Gump, to which it has been compared, brought to the table.

Despite its shortcomings, Benjamin Button has a timeless quality and will be a seasonal favorite for the years to come.

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