Now, before I start this review, let me say that I may be a little biased by the fact that this is the first movie I have seen in the theatre in years, instead of waiting for it to come out on DVD and watching it at home, so take the fact that I was watching it on a movie screen and not a TV into account.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Directed by David Fincher, Screenplay by Eric Roth, based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is quite aptly named. The titular character, one Benjamin Button, is in fact quite a curious case: he was born old. Whereas the natural cycle is to be born a child and die an old man, Benjamin was born as with the body of an 80-year old man, and over the course of his life grows steadily younger. It follows him as he tries to live his life, a man growing younger while the people around him gradually grow older.
The story of Benjamin Button is told by way of a framing narrative, or a story within a story. The movie begins in a hospital room in New Orleans, LA, during the approach of Hurricane Katrina. The room is occupied by an old woman on her deathbed, Daisy, and her daughter Caroline. The story of Benjamin Button is contained in his diary, which Caroline is reading to her mother at her behest. The plot switches back to the hospital room on certain occasions to allow Daisy to elaborate on certain events that Benjamin would not have been privy to.
While the plot's details change over the course of the film, the overarching story of Benjamin and Daisy remains constant. It is a love story, but one unlike most of what you find in theatres nowadays. Benjamin and Daisy struggle to make the relationship work despite Benjamin's "condition".
One of the things I found striking in the movie was the way that the plot of Benjamin Button's story changes to fit the fiction of the times that Benjamin lives through. In his childhood in the 1920's and 30's, the plot focuses on the segregation between him and the people around him. The elderly people that he lives with treat him as a child, and the children think of him as an old man. Then in his teenage years it follows his experiences in World War Two, losing his innocence all too quickly. This continues through each era he lives through, the plot subtly altering itself to parallel the era's novels and movies. Most people will probably not even care about that, but for the people that notice it changes the entire way you look at the movie.
Another point of interest is that over the course of the movie, I found myself distracted from Benjamin's "curious case", instead focusing on the characters. I went in expecting some simple fiction about a man who was aging in the opposite direction, but was surprised to discover that this was not the case. It became more of a story of the times around Benjamin, with his aging alternating between the main focal point and merely a side story.
Overall, I have to recommend this movie, but with a caveat: if you are expecting a simple story or any action, this is not the movie for you. It is complex, more so than most other movies that have come out in recent years, but I for one enjoyed it, and strongly recommend it for anyone that wants their movies with a bit of thought involved.
Truly an instant classic
~Andrew
NOTE: This is my first review, so any constructive criticism is welcome.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Directed by David Fincher, Screenplay by Eric Roth, based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is quite aptly named. The titular character, one Benjamin Button, is in fact quite a curious case: he was born old. Whereas the natural cycle is to be born a child and die an old man, Benjamin was born as with the body of an 80-year old man, and over the course of his life grows steadily younger. It follows him as he tries to live his life, a man growing younger while the people around him gradually grow older.
The story of Benjamin Button is told by way of a framing narrative, or a story within a story. The movie begins in a hospital room in New Orleans, LA, during the approach of Hurricane Katrina. The room is occupied by an old woman on her deathbed, Daisy, and her daughter Caroline. The story of Benjamin Button is contained in his diary, which Caroline is reading to her mother at her behest. The plot switches back to the hospital room on certain occasions to allow Daisy to elaborate on certain events that Benjamin would not have been privy to.
While the plot's details change over the course of the film, the overarching story of Benjamin and Daisy remains constant. It is a love story, but one unlike most of what you find in theatres nowadays. Benjamin and Daisy struggle to make the relationship work despite Benjamin's "condition".
One of the things I found striking in the movie was the way that the plot of Benjamin Button's story changes to fit the fiction of the times that Benjamin lives through. In his childhood in the 1920's and 30's, the plot focuses on the segregation between him and the people around him. The elderly people that he lives with treat him as a child, and the children think of him as an old man. Then in his teenage years it follows his experiences in World War Two, losing his innocence all too quickly. This continues through each era he lives through, the plot subtly altering itself to parallel the era's novels and movies. Most people will probably not even care about that, but for the people that notice it changes the entire way you look at the movie.
Another point of interest is that over the course of the movie, I found myself distracted from Benjamin's "curious case", instead focusing on the characters. I went in expecting some simple fiction about a man who was aging in the opposite direction, but was surprised to discover that this was not the case. It became more of a story of the times around Benjamin, with his aging alternating between the main focal point and merely a side story.
Overall, I have to recommend this movie, but with a caveat: if you are expecting a simple story or any action, this is not the movie for you. It is complex, more so than most other movies that have come out in recent years, but I for one enjoyed it, and strongly recommend it for anyone that wants their movies with a bit of thought involved.
Truly an instant classic
~Andrew
NOTE: This is my first review, so any constructive criticism is welcome.
