The Curious Case of Benjamin Button IMDB Link
Directed By: David Fincher
Written By: Eric Roth
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett
I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a while ago and like most people I really had no reaction to it. Normally people have at least one thing to say about a movie but whenever I ask someone what they thought of Button they inevitably just shrug. The film is basically like brain surgery gone right. The fact that you can even do brain surgery is incredible and you need to nail all the steps along the way but in the end it is what it is, surgery. It’s sterile, regimented and empty of any kind of emotion.
There was a video floating around pointing out the fact that Button is just a remake of Forrest Gump and the accusation is completely warranted as they are quite similar and after all, the same screenwriter wrote both. But the major difference between the two is Forrest Gump made you feel something and the character’s “strangeness” actually had a purpose to the storytelling. Whether it was the fact that he was too “dumb” to understand racism or the complexities of the Vietnam War, Gump would always break life down into simple terms which not only made it quirky but gave us a unique perspective on world events. With Button, I didn’t really understand how his growing up backwards did for any for the film. In fact, the majority of the film takes place when they are the same age so it sort of negates the moments of awe.
On top of that, his complete passiveness as a character made things even worse. He rarely talks, reacts or expresses anything. He’s just there, just like the film is just there. But where do you put the blame? I mean the directing is well done, the cinematography is phenomenal, the special effects amazing and there is great acting. It’s just one of those films where all the components are done extremely well but what it amounts to is something that isn’t something. It’s just there.
Like I said, I think the directing was really well done and I’ve been a big fan of Fincher for a while but part of me thinks that perhaps this film could have been better if a different director were in charge. Fincher is a very calculating director whose films all have an edge and I’m not sure he was very well suited for a film like this just like I don’t think Kubrick would have been great for any heart warming tale like Forrest Gump.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
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