The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

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

Director:

David Fincher

Writers:

Eric Roth (screenplay), Eric Roth (story)

Stars:

Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton

Won 3 Oscars. Another 81 wins & 157 nominations.

Cast

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)
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
Mahershala Ali	...	Tizzy (as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali)

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

premature aging | aging | lingerie slip | older man younger woman relationship | deformed baby | 

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Taglines:

"I was born under unusual circumstances".

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film takes place on November 11, 1918 and in 1925, 1936, 1941, 1945, 1954, 1962, 1964, 1968, 1970, 1981, 1991, 1997, 2002, 2003, and 2005.

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Goofs

When talking about how the tugboat has been commissioned into the US Navy the day right after Pearl Harbor (Dec 8, 1941), the captain says "We will fight the Japs and the Hun". The Hun refers to the Germans, but they didn't declare war on the US until Dec 11, 1941. However the Captain is Irish so would probably count 1939 as the start of the war not just when America joined it in 1941.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

The end credits run as a slide show instead of the traditional upward scroll.

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Connections

Referenced in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: POM Wonderful v. Coca-Cola (2014)

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Soundtracks

Elite Syncopations
Written & Performed by Scott Joplin
Courtesy of Shout! Factory
By special arrangement with Natural Energy Lab

User Reviews

Outstanding

When I first heard about this movie, I thought it would be a dumb, overplayed sci-fi flick. But it wasn't that at all. This film was about a man who needed love, and found despite the most unlikely circumstances. This film was about the choices we make and how it affects us as individuals, our lives, the people around us and their lives, and the rest of the world. Its message was clear: life is a precious gift that must not be wasted. Another one of its important morals was that everyone is different; no one should be treated badly because of their differences. This movie had amazing moral character and showed a great knowledge of what life is about.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian French

Release Date:

25 December 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'étrange histoire de Benjamin Button

Filming Locations:

San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$26,853,816, 28 December 2008

Gross USA:

$127,509,326

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$335,802,786

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, The Kennedy/Marshall Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

166 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.40 : 1