Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Cate Blanchett | ... | Daisy | |
Brad Pitt | ... | Benjamin Button | |
Julia Ormond | ... | Caroline | |
Faune Chambers Watkins | ... | Dorothy Baker (as Faune Chambers) | |
Elias Koteas | ... | Monsieur Gateau | |
Donna Duplantier | ... | Blanche Devereux | |
Jacob Tolano | ... | Martin Gateau (as Jacob Wood) | |
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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 | |
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Joeanna Sayler | ... | Caroline Button |
Taraji P. Henson | ... | Queenie | |
Mahershala Ali | ... | Tizzy (as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali) |
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
Technically, like most of Davin Fincher's movies, "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" is a wonder. The curious saga of a man ageing backwards, gives Fincher the possibility of doing what he does best, tricks. It is the drama part that he doesn't seem to master or perhaps he doesn't care. "Zodiac" was his most coherent dramatic venture. Here he gets infatuated by the CGI and manages some spectacular punches but it is thanks to Brad Pitt the the exercise has a soul. He is truly remarkable. He manages to overcome the distraction of the gadgetry and show us the interior of the man. Brad Pitt's warmth wins over David Fincher's coldness and the most successful parts of the film are reflected in Brad Pitt's eyes. Geared towards an inexorable ending, there are moments of real beauty and tenderness. I'm convinced those moments could have been captured with a Super 8. The over direction of Fincher puts the emotional undertone in real jeopardy but, thankfully, the overall experience is mostly a welcome and rewarding one.