I will go on the official record as liking the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button although I will be forced to admit that there is not too much to it in the end. The best thing about it is its sheer visual beauty - every scene is perfectly lit and shot, every actor is perfectly lit and made up and watching Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett for a few hours could never be a bad way to spend an afternoon. Yet if you've read anything about it you know he is going backwards, she is going forwards and the film basically just portrays the incidents and bumps along the way.
There are a few awkward things about the film. What one assumes was intended to be a bit of a reveal is obvious from the beginning so there is nothing unexpected that occurs. Also, the most awkward point is setting the present day portion of the story (from which everything else is revealed in flashback) in August 2005 New Orleans with Katrina pounding at the windows. It is not clear what this was meant to accomplish or say but what it left me with was a fervent hope that the characters left behind to suffer through Katrina wouldn't be trapped in the Superdome.
Whatever joy there is to be had from the film really just comes from spending a bit of time in its overall presence and appreciating the little details all the way. There is an incidental story which opens the film that is beautifully told and shot, using the appearance of old sepia film footage, a technique which reappears as part of a running gag throughout the film (watch out for the lightening). One of the most beautiful sections of the film is when Pitt's and Blanchett's characters finally get together. I probably would have left much happier if I had walked out after that sequence as the end really brought me down.
All in all, I'm not entirely sure what the film was trying to say about life and time but I enjoyed watching it go by.
Check out the trailer and see what you think:
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