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IMDbPro

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

  • 20082008
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
639K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
725
12
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Benjamin Button (Pitt) was born under unusual circumstances. As everyone around him grew older, he aged backwards, making the challenges of life such as creating friendships, finding a job and falling in love all the more difficult and heartbreaking.
Play trailer2:40
11 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Fantasy
  • Romance
Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with consequences.Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with consequences.Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with consequences.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
639K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
725
12
  • Director
    • David Fincher
  • Writers
    • Eric Roth(screenplay)
    • Robin Swicord(story)
    • F. Scott Fitzgerald(short story)
  • Stars
    • Brad Pitt
    • Cate Blanchett
    • Tilda Swinton
Top credits
  • Director
    • David Fincher
  • Writers
    • Eric Roth(screenplay)
    • Robin Swicord(story)
    • F. Scott Fitzgerald(short story)
  • Stars
    • Brad Pitt
    • Cate Blanchett
    • Tilda Swinton
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1KUser reviews
    • 317Critic reviews
    • 70Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 3 Oscars
      • 83 wins & 160 nominations total

    Videos11

    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Trailer 2
    Trailer 2:40
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Trailer 2
    A Guide to the Films of David Fincher
    Clip 1:59
    A Guide to the Films of David Fincher
    Cate Blanchett Almost Played Clarice Starling?
    Clip 3:37
    Cate Blanchett Almost Played Clarice Starling?
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    Clip 0:40
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    Clip 1:03
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    Clip 1:33
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    Clip 0:43
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    Clip 1:02
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    Clip 1:01
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    What Roles Did Brad Pitt Miss Out On?
    Video 3:40
    What Roles Did Brad Pitt Miss Out On?
    Roles That Tom Cruise Turned Down
    Video 2:22
    Roles That Tom Cruise Turned Down

    Photos201

    Brad Pitt, Peter Donald Badalamenti II, Taraji P. Henson, and Lance E. Nichols in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    Julia Ormond and Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    Tilda Swinton in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
    Taraji P. Henson and Mahershala Ali in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Brad Pitt
    Brad Pitt
    • Benjamin Buttonas Benjamin Button
    Cate Blanchett
    Cate Blanchett
    • Daisyas Daisy
    Tilda Swinton
    Tilda Swinton
    • Elizabeth Abbottas Elizabeth Abbott
    Julia Ormond
    Julia Ormond
    • Carolineas Caroline
    Faune Chambers Watkins
    Faune Chambers Watkins
    • Dorothy Bakeras Dorothy Baker
    • (as Faune Chambers)
    Elias Koteas
    Elias Koteas
    • Monsieur Gateauas Monsieur Gateau
    Donna Duplantier
    Donna Duplantier
    • Blanche Devereuxas Blanche Devereux
    Jacob Tolano
    Jacob Tolano
    • Martin Gateauas Martin Gateau
    • (as Jacob Wood)
    Earl Maddox
    • Man at Train Stationas Man at Train Station
    Ed Metzger
    Ed Metzger
    • Teddy Rooseveltas Teddy Roosevelt
    Jason Flemyng
    Jason Flemyng
    • Thomas Buttonas Thomas Button
    Danny Vinson
    Danny Vinson
    • Priest Giving Last Ritesas Priest Giving Last Rites
    David Jensen
    David Jensen
    • Doctor at Benjamin's Birthas Doctor at Benjamin's Birth
    Joeanna Sayler
    • Caroline Buttonas Caroline Button
    Taraji P. Henson
    Taraji P. Henson
    • Queenieas Queenie
    Mahershala Ali
    Mahershala Ali
    • Tizzyas Tizzy
    • (as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali)
    Fiona Hale
    • Mrs. Hollisteras Mrs. Hollister
    Patrick Thomas O'Brien
    Patrick Thomas O'Brien
    • Dr. Roseas Dr. Rose
    • Director
      • David Fincher
    • Writers
      • Eric Roth(screenplay) (story)
      • Robin Swicord(story)
      • F. Scott Fitzgerald(short story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The hummingbird is the only bird in the world that can fly backwards. Hurricanes spin counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. These, among other "backward" motifs involving clocks and so on, tie in with the major thematic elements related to Benjamin Button living life in reverse.
    • Goofs
      In 1945 when Daisy and Benjamin are having dinner, Daisy is smoking a filter cigarette. Filter cigarettes were not available until several years later.
    • Quotes

      Benjamin Button: You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went. You could swear, curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.

    • Crazy credits
      The Paramount and Warner Bros. logos are in the form of mosaics constructed from several buttons.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      When the Saints Go Marching In
      Traditional

      Performed by Doc Paulin's Marching Band

      Courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways Records

    User reviews1K

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    "One of the best movies of 2008"
    F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' has been transformed into a splendid film by David Fincher. A marvelously made film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of the best movies of 2008. The cast is terrific and director David Fincher beautifully puts together the tale of Benjamin's life. The only large flaw many will find is that the concept of the film's premise seems too unrealistic.

    The film tells the life of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt). Born as an old man, Benjamin ages backwards; gradually getting younger as those around him age normally. Benjamin is abandoned at birth and picked up at an old-age home. As a child - or rather as a hunched over 80 year old - he meets a girl named Daisy (Cate Blanchett). Together they engage in innocent child games, and through this they develop a special connection. As Benjamin goes off into the world, Daisy continues to grow up, later pursuing her dream of dancing. Benjamin joins a crew and sails round the world, ending up in Russia. Then, after Pearl Harbor, Benjamin joins in the war effort, following battles across the north Pacific and only engaging in one combat situation.

    Returning to New Orleans, Benjamin has grown taller, lost many of his wrinkles, and grown more hair. The visual effects are spectacular in following Brad Pitt through the various stages of his life. From an old man to a young teen, Benjamin always resembles Pitt. Upon arrival in his childhood home, Benjamin learns that many of the tenants he knew have passed on. This is the tragedy of aging backwards, those you knew continue to age forward as they exit this world while you do the opposite. Benjamin also meets Daisy again, who after many years has become a successful dancer and has blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Long gone is the innocence of childhood, and Daisy has become intimate with many men in New York City. Missing by an inch, she and Benjamin do not initiate a relationship until later in the film.

    Narrated from the present, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button starts with Daisy's daughter reading Benjamin's diary to her mother in a hospital on the cusp of Hurricane Katrina. This allows the narration to occasionally halt for an elderly Daisy to comment on events of her life. A key motif running throughout this film is time. Beginning and ending with sequences about the same clock, David Fincher seems to allude to the notion that things fade, and that we must hold on to the things we love in the time we have with them.

    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a fantastic film. Beautifully created, David Fincher paints an image of the south of the United States in the early 1900s which seems both realistic and fantastical. The film also illustrates war, travel, death, and many of the other events of life. Brad Pitt shows emotional depth as Benjamin, and Cate Blanchett is terrific as Daisy. It is surprising how much we can take away from a 166 minute movie, the audience feels as if they have known Benjamin and Daisy for all of their lives. While some may question the premise of the film, arguing that time is linear and that the plot is therefore incoherent, there can be no arguing that this film does its best to develop human relationships and to establish emotional connections between characters. As Roger Ebert once said, "A film is not about its subject; it's about how it's about its subject", and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button certainly handles its subject material splendidly.
    helpful•24
    4
    • mikes-movie-review-onlin
    • Apr 15, 2012

    FAQ10

    • Is 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' based on a book?
    • Is it possible to read Fitzgerald's story online?
    • How closely does the movie follow Fitzgerald's story?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 2008 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Russian
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Benjamin Button
    • Filming locations
      • India
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Paramount Pictures
      • The Kennedy/Marshall Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $150,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $127,509,326
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $26,853,816
      • Dec 28, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $335,802,786
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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