Sure David Fincher’s (Fight Club, Se7en) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is Forrest Gump meets Legends of the Fall. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great movie. I saw this movie opening weekend six years ago and remember being intrigued by the premise but not exactly sure how I’d react to it. The trailer was superb, and Brad Pitt is excellent in almost everything he does. This movie was screaming Academy Award Nomination for him, and this would prove to be his first Best Actor nod. I’m also very high on Fincher and Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth: The Golden Age). At nearly three hours, this movie is way much too long, but, at the same time, I’m not exactly sure what I would cut it out. To me, each scene is integral to the story. And while Forrest Gump achieved more critical acclaim (6 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor and six other nominations), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button fared very well (3 wins and ten more nominations). Are the stories similar? They are. And while Brad Pitt’s character in this movie isn’t quite the same as his character in Legends of the Fall, his Benjamin Button character does follow many of the same fight versus flight battles that Tristan faced. If I had to rank these three movies, I think I would still go Forrest Gump first, Legends of the Fall second, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but that is one heck of a list. All three of these movies currently rank in my All-Time top 125, and I think each of these movies will continue to stand the test of time, meaning I don’t see these movies sliding down as I revise my list yearly.

Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the story of its protagonist (Benjamin) as he ages backward. He’s born as an 80-year-old man in an infant’s size body and through the kindness of others, namely Queenie (Taraji P. Henson – television’s Person of Interest), who raises him after Benjamin’s mother dies during childbirth and his father, distraught after losing his wife and repulsed by his grotesque looking son, leaves the infant on Queenie’s doorsteps. She raises Benjamin as her own. She loved him when others didn’t. She fought for his life when doctors told her it was a losing cause. Henson earned her first and only Academy Award nomination for her role as Benjamin’s caregiver.

Fincher certainly stepped out of his realm for this film. A man who consistently earned scores exceeding the 70% threshold on Rotten Tomatoes, Fincher had carved a niche creating dark, twisted worlds like those in Se7en, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room, and Zodiac before attempting his hand at this movie. I can say confidently that this movie is by no means twisted. It is weird, and some viewers won’t be able to get past the storyline. But this movie is rich in beauty, deep in culture, dutiful in its craftsmanship, and an absolute joy to play out on the screen. With apologies to Slumdog Millionaire (which I did think was an ever so slightly better movie), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was this year’s most incredible love story. Fincher is a master at his craft, and it will be a joy to continue watching him make movies for decades to come. Since this film, he has continued to create critically acclaimed movies and mass hits (The Social Network – 96% fresh, $97 million domestically at the box office, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – 86% fresh, $102 million, and Gone Girl – 88% fresh, $163 million and counting). He seems to be taking a break from his dark movies, but I don’t doubt he will return to that genre from time to time. I don’t doubt that this movie was a challenging movie to direct. His characters were bright and vivid, but most importantly, they were memorable. Whether they were on screen the entire time (like Pitt was) or if they only surfaced for a scene or two, each was important in telling the story. I felt that the film did stall a little in its final third. Perhaps it didn’t stall as much as it didn’t know how to finish. But the finish had to be told. It was rushed and choppy. Perhaps that was because the movie was already so long. Maybe it was because this part of the movie was so sad. Whatever the reason, the ending was relatively weak. But I don’t think this can take that much away from acts 1 and 2. Fincher interlaced the stories, and the characters (especially the leads) as they grew in opposite directions were captivating. It could have succeeded only in the hands of a director of his magnitude.

While Fincher was incredible, Pitt’s portrayal of Benjamin brought this movie to life. The visuals and makeup were also both great, and there are certain times when the focus becomes Pitt’s changing look (and Blanchett). Both aged about 80 years, albeit in two different directions, for three hours. The physical changes grab our attention first, but they are short-lived (except for maybe the very early scenes of Benjamin). Pitt portrayed the innocence of a seven-year-old, a 12-year-old, an 18-year-old, etc., while displaying the physical features and physical defects of a senior citizen nearing the end of his life was powerful. But more so were the ways that Pitt portrayed Benjamin with such ease. Pitt’s character is average, simple, kind, harmless, and good-natured. But more importantly, he is so positive and a lover of life, all who inhabit it, and everything it holds. Benjamin’s character intentionally doesn’t show a huge range of emotions. We don’t see him angry, aggressive, sad, or worried. He doesn’t dwell on his disability. Instead, he embraces it because that’s what life is. Likewise, his on-again-off-again relationship with Dasiy never feels forced or unrealistic. Instead, they were just two people, struck with their setbacks like all of us trying to make it through life.

I don’t even want to try to picture others portraying Benjamin and Daisy. Blanchett was perfectly cast as Daisy, the lead actress. Her journey was just as incredible as Benjamin’s, and there aren’t many actresses better at their craft than she is. Unfortunately, in my opinion, she got robbed of a Best Actress Academy Award nomination. Daisy’s relationship with Benjamin was uncommon. But as different as it is to us, it worked for them, and during that middle stanza of the movie (when they were about and then exactly the same age), the relationship was hot, steamy, sexual, and sensual. Everything that you want in your passionate relationship was there. Watching the two of them fall in love the way they did made me envious. That was the world that Fincher, Blanchett, and Pitt created for us. I was glad to see Fincher and Pitt recognized with top nominations. I really feel like Blanchett got hosed. Nonetheless, she has two Oscar wins and four more nominations, and she’s not done yet. Don’t feel too sorry for her. She’ll be just fine.

This is an amazing movie that deserves multiple viewings. I would suggest watching it, on average, once per decade.

Plot 9.5/10 (a little weird, but it’s a fantasy movie…there are plenty of other films that have tried to tell stories based on abnormal aging. Some have succeeded, like Big, while many others have failed…I thought this movie did a fantastic job)
Character Development 10/10 (Benjamin’s story was not only fully developed but Daisy’s was too…a fine job all around)
Character Chemistry 10/10 (Pitt and Blanchett sizzled when they shared the screen)
Acting 10/10 (Pitt has never been better, and Blanchett played his counterpart perfectly. She was worthy of an Oscar nomination herself)
Screenplay 9/10 (I wonder what constitutes a “short story” because his novels like The Great Gatsby and Tender Is The Night were shorter in length than this movie)
Directing  9/10 (This would have been a disaster in the wrong hands of a less capable director…Fincher again shows why he’s one of the very best)
Cinematography 10/10 (Fantastic imagery)
Sound 10/10 (Awesome score)
Hook and Reel 8.5/10 (It starts too slow, and it is very long…I loved the movie on the big screen, but my viewing of it at home on my couch was more enjoyable)
Universal Relevance 9/10 (Immerse yourself in a bit of fantasy every once in a while…this is a fantastic romantic adventure)
95%

Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie

• Forest Gump
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• A Star is Born
• Meet Joe Black
• Away From Her