|  The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Starring:
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett
Directed by: David Fincher
Buy
This FABULOUS Film
Bluntly
speaking? I have a theory about the press in the position
of review power. They ebb and flow in the popularity waters in
unison. When a star is up, that actor can do no wrong. Take that
ass Russell Crowe who punched some older guy over a poem that
was cut off. Hardly a word was said. It was his high crest in
the admittedly talented pugnacious actor's life. The press piranha
barely bothered producing a paragraph on the dismal classless
affair.
Now Brad Pitt
is becoming "over-exposed." Mostly because he decided
to screw it all and follow his own bliss; what ever may come years
down the line. And what ever his personal life holds is no business
of mine - though few share my opinion. I do know if I knew him,
I’d be very proud with his choices so far and his ability
to share his good fortune with strangers.
All this being
typed, I had heard nothing but negative verbage about Button
from a number of writer friends who scribe for public perusal.
They barked it was too long, had no story and made no sense. The
dozen award nominations thus far say they may have been a tad
too quick to pull a lemur…Still, I went in to the theater
with an edge of dread. But I’d broken my own rule: never
listen to critics – especially when an inordinately famous
person is involved in the project.
The film is
a delight. Yes it is long in hours, but unlike so many films of
late, it ran by. The story, an adaptation of an F. Scott Fitzgerald
piece, works great as a film. The tale of time travel, or rather
play, has a ‘Big Fish’ feel to it. The make-up on
99 percent of the actors is mesmerizing. The scenery nearly as
delightful as the performances.
Story goes…Benjamin
Button (Brad Pitt) has been born an elderly baby…he is literally
aging backwards. He is abandoned by his father as a deformity.
A kind woman takes him into her world. The home steps he is dumped
upon are to become the perfect cover for a man in some sort of
quantum life span and is perfect for an “old man”
to grow young in.
Nice how
fairy tales place the perfect set up in a nonperfect upset aint
it?
As Button
grows younger his life experiences broaden. Though physically
he looks as though he’s seen many a New Year rung in, you
are reminded by his innocence at every turn. He is a boy in an
adult body.
Benjamin eventually
finds true love as he and a girl who is aging naturally (Cate
Blanchett) meet in the middle of ages so they are nearly equal
for a short time.
What a premise.
In lesser hands Button would have been a snore. With
the talents involved in front and behind the camera you
enjoy visual delights (thanks to cinematographer Claudio Miranda,
set decorator Victor Zolfo and a batallion of make-up artists),
honest laughs, and having your heart warmed to a caramel crusted
hue. We are allowed to imagine...to drift into entertainment and
tip-toe through a bona fide fairy tale for a while.
There are
no murders, no sex scenes (well, no nudity...Pitt enthusiasts),
nothing gets blown up, but all that is just fine because what
the film lack in big bang it replaces with a huge heart. The aging
is incredible, but the making young perhaps a bit more awe inspiring.
Lon Chaney Sr. would weep in the care taken.
There are
one or two parts where you raise an eyebrow in plot-heading confusion,
but a cleverly placed event or television show, reminds you where
you are and where you are headed.
Truly a unique
film. Be sure to take a moment to search around the gorgeous sets
and remember, a film like this doesn't get made these days. Wait,
it does! AND IT DID.
Snack
recommendation: Be sure to have a hearty lunch or dinner
prior to viewing; take very little to drink so you do not have
to leave for a bathroom break. You do not want to miss a moment
of this delightful film.
BUY
IT NOW!
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