The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Director:

David Fincher

Writers (WGA):

Eric Roth (screenplay)
Eric Roth (screen story) ...

Release Date:

25 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

Life isn't measured in minutes, but in moments

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Button | Diary | Aging | New Orleans | Hospital

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 31 wins & 69 nominations

Cast

Cate Blanchett	...	Daisy
Julia Ormond	...	Caroline
Faune A. Chambers	...	Dorothy Baker
Elias Koteas	...	Monsieur Gateau
Donna DuPlantier	...	Blanche Devereux
Jacob Tolano	...	Martin Gateau (as Jacob Wood)
Earl Maddox	...	Man at Train Station
Ed Metzger	...	Teddy Roosevelt
Jason Flemyng	...	Thomas Button
Danny Vinson	...	Priest Giving Last Rites
David Jensen	...	Doctor at Benjamin's Birth
Joeanna Sayler	...	Caroline Button
Taraji P. Henson	...	Queenie
Mahershalalhashbaz Ali	...	Tizzy
Fiona Hale	...	Mrs. Hollister

Also Known As:

Benjamin Button (USA) (working title)
The Curious Case (International: English title) (informal short title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking.

Runtime:

166 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44743) | Australia:M | Finland:K-11 | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Czech Republic:12 | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:M | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Brazil:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:6 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Chile:Y7 | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Spain:T | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Sweden:11 | Mexico:B | Austria:10 | Denmark:11 | Germany:12 | France:U | Iceland:7 | Sweden:7 | Ireland:12 (blu-ray) | UK:15 (blu-ray)

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

David Fincher's first PG-13 rated film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: During WW2, German U-boats had their white painted numbers from the conning tower removed, whereas in the film you can quite clearly see the number "497" on the side of the conning tower.

Quotes:

Benjamin Button: [Voice over; letter to his daughter] For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational Quarterfinal 1 (#26.4)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

OLD SPINNING WHEEL

Do You Still Wish You Could Turn Back the Clock?

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a near epic film in almost the same way Forrest Gump was. I am not particularly a fan of David Fincher and his work. Yet I strongly admired The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This film is about a man named Benjamin Button who leads much of an ordinary life under not so ordinary circumstances. The one thing that separates him from any other human being is that he ages backwards. Despite such large differences between the audience and Benjamin Button, the film finds a way to connect with a large variety of people in a way that does not seem to happen so often.

The acting was very good throughout the movie. Especially that of Cate Blanchett who seems to be turning out one great performance after another. She plays the role of Daisy, Benjamin Button's real love interest from start to finish. In fact she played so well it might have been a partial downfall to the movie. Her performance out shined that of the main character, played by Brad Pitt. Although Pitt was very solid in his performance I do not believe he deserved an Oscar nomination (rather Blanchett deserved one) for his role of playing Benjamin Button. He was not a necessity to the movie and did not add much to it. He was not bad but he wasn't spectacular. Throughout though many of the different actors and actresses lit up the screen. Especially Tilda Swinton who was wonderful to watch as Button's short lived love interest. Her presence was magical and a joy to watch. I would have loved to see just a little bit more of her character.

The directing of David Fincher in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was of what I believe to be his best work to date. The screenplay of Eric Roth was written very well as he has had experience with these type of movies. In many scenes the dialog and great direction combined for some epic scenes.

Ultimately I enjoyed this movie very much but something felt missing from the movie. Something seemed left unsaid that was vital. I felt that the great downfall to this movie was that Brad Pitt didn't give an amazing performance and did not take control of the movie rather Blanchett stole the show from him which made Button seem less important to me. Despite that though it this film was done very well and I would recommend it to all. Its an important story that makes us self reflect and think deeply. It displays how we need to live with our mistakes because they are part of our life. We need to appreciate what we have rather than wonder "what if...?".