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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 285,731 users   Metascore: 70/100
Reviews: 775 user | 342 critic | 37 from Metacritic.com

Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.

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(screenplay), (story), 2 more credits »
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Title: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

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Won 3 Oscars. Another 42 wins & 80 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Dorothy Baker (as Faune Chambers)
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Donna Duplantier ...
Blanche Devereux
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Martin Gateau (as Jacob Wood)
Earl Maddox ...
Man at Train Station
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Priest Giving Last Rites
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Doctor at Benjamin's Birth
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Tizzy (as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali)
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Storyline

On the day that Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, elderly Daisy Williams (nee Fuller) is on her deathbed in a New Orleans hospital. At her side is her adult daughter, Caroline. Daisy asks Caroline to read to her aloud the diary of Daisy's lifelong friend, Benjamin Button. Benjamin's diary recounts his entire extraordinary life, the primary unusual aspect of which was his aging backwards, being diagnosed with several aging diseases at birth and thus given little chance of survival, but who does survive and gets younger with time. Abandoned by his biological father, Thomas Button, after Benjamin's biological mother died in childbirth, Benjamin was raised by Queenie, a black woman and caregiver at a seniors home. Daisy's grandmother was a resident at that home, which is where she first met Benjamin. Although separated through the years, Daisy and Benjamin remain in contact throughout their lives, reconnecting in their forties when in age they finally match up. Some of the revelations ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Life isn't measured in minutes, but in moments See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

| |  »

Country:

Language:

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Release Date:

25 December 2008 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Benjamin Button  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,213,495 (UK) (6 February 2009)

Gross:

$127,490,802 (USA) (17 April 2009)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The motorcycle that Button rides in India is a 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet, a British-designed motorcycle originally made under license in Chennai (Madras), India since 1955. See more »

Goofs

In the wharf scene when Benjamin joins the tugboat crew, two bridges are visible in the background. This event is prior to World War II. The first of these bridges was constructed beginning in 1954 and opened in 1958. The second was begun in 1981 and opened in 1988. Neither was there prior to World War II. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Daisy: What are you looking at, Caroline?
Caroline: The wind, mom.
[yawns]
Caroline: They say the hurricane is coming.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The Paramount and Warner Bros. logos are in the form of mosaics constructed from several buttons. See more »

Connections

Featured in The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) See more »

Soundtracks

"JUST AS I AM"
Traditional
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
As Time Goes By
6 May 2009 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

I found this to be an interesting film; certainly not boring as I had heard from a few people who saw it in the theater. To me, it was simply good storytelling.

Yes, it's slow, especially by today's movie standards, but it's certainly a unique story and it's nicely filmed, acted and directed. Story-wise, it's one of those films I understand if people love it or hate it. I'm somewhat in the middle and leaning toward the positive.

For a movie that runs for over 2 hours and 40 minutes and is not some suspense or action film, it has to be pretty good to hold one's interest. I can only speak for myself; it held my interest for 95 percent of it.

I think the first two-thirds of the movie is the best. Brad Pitt as "Benjamin Button" is pretty fascinating, as is the story of him growing up from a wrinkled, old man-baby to a mid-40s guy. When he re-unites with childhood friend "Daisy" (Cate Blanchett) and becomes her lover, the film bogs down in a few spots but few people are going to stop watching after investing two hours. It picks up again, especially in the last minutes when "Benjamin" begins to finally become younger than an adult.

There's a sadness to this story, especially near the end but overall, even though it's central theme seems to be "death," I don't think it's a depressing film. It does remind us, in a big way, that the longer we're around, the more death of friends and loved ones we witness. That's just a sad fact of life. I hear about it all time with my father, who is 91 years old and has seen almost all of his friends die.

It's especially true in this story when Benjamin starts off and has a lot of old friends to begin with! "Benjamin" was an odd person to me; you could root for him, yet not admire him. He often treated people only to satisfy his desires and could have been so much more. Yet, being "a fly on the wall" and observing his interesting life, was memorable, making this a film worthy of the time invested to watch it.

In the end, the movie made me appreciate the friends I do have, and not to take any of them for granted as life passes us by so fast, no matter what direction we're headed!


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Is this your favourite movie? Moviefanatic333
The only 'curious' thing about Benjamin Button was... dyahrmarkt
Disappointing ending ades_va
The make-up stotop86
Cate Blanchett / Tilda Swinton harrison_1
Why didn't scientists or doctors study him? yendreck

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