Benjamin Button is a curious film indeed. Ok, that's a pretty obvious and easy statement to make, but it's true. A fairy tale, a fable, and a tall tale all wrapped in a quirky romance featuring two of Hollywood's brightest stars. Very loosely adapted from the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, the film seems to have stripped away the most enticing parts of the story in favor of something that leaves itself more amenable to it's big name casting. This is a quirky romance at it's heart, a story of true love under the oddest of circumstances, and it works for the most part.
Benjamin Button was born old. No, he's not an "old soul" like some people, he's literally born old, wrinkly and no doubt smelling of Neosporin. Appalled, his father hurriedly wisks the baby away from the hospital and leave him on the doorstep of a nursing home for old folks. There Benjamin is taken care of by Queenie(played by Taraji P. Henson in her best role to date), an African-American woman basically running the place. Considering that the film takes place primarily in New Orleans from the 1920s on forward it glosses over the entire issue of race for the most part. With the possible exception of a few subtile lines by Queenie and her mate, Tizzy, it's pretty much a non-issue. That fits with the fantastical tone of the story. New Orleans in this film feels like it's from another world not our own, where people age backwards and people are struck by lightning multiple times like a rod. The film's orchestral score is fits each scene note perfect, never overbearing or steering the viewer into feeling a certain emotion. That is left up to the actors, as it should be.
It's these early years in the life of Benjamin Button that were the most interesting by far. Button, with the mental capacity of young boy living amongst a group who, atleast on the surface, ought to be his peers. He is an outcast in every imaginable way. He barely associates with the older folks except for a willing few; nor can he play with the kids his own age due to his advanced physical condition which requires him to walk with braces. Not to mention he's a white guy being cared for by a black family. Benjamin soon becomes friends with the scarlett haired Daisy, a young girl with aspirations of becoming a ballerina.
As Benjamin grows younger and stronger, he gets more curious about the world beyond his front porch. He joins a fishing crew, fights in WWII, and eventually meets the man who abandoned him as a child. The film takes on a decidely Gump-ish tone during as Benjamin makes his way around the world. Much like Gump's love for Jenny, Benjamin remains grounded by his love for Daisy. But no matter where they meet in their lives the specter of Button's condition remains front and center. Daisy's fear of getting old is compounded by the ever youthful Benjamin. There's simply no getting around it, and the question becomes whether or not these two who are so obviously meant for eachother can truly withstand the trappings of time.
What David Fincher has done here is to produce one of the most strikingly beautiful films I've seen this year. In the same way that Fincher's Zodiac was so perfectly moody and gloomy, this film is pristine and almost glowing. There is a sheen to almost every shot, and helps contribute to the dreamlike nature of it. Brad Pitt, who plays Benjamin from his teen years on up, and Cate Blanchett who plays Daisy, literally glow on screen. That's not even figuring in their obvious on screen chemistry. These are two beautiful people playing beautiful, flawed characters. In a sense, its those very flaws that make these characters so attractive. Blanchett's performance seems to crank up a notch after Daisy hits her inevitable stumbling block later in life, and she becomes instantly more appealing.
For his part, Pitt does a decent job portraying Button, but my usual problems with Pitt rear their ugly heads. I've always held that Pitt is a very convincing actor who lacks the on screen charisma that he carries off screen. Take for instance, The Assassination of Jesse James in which he plays the outlaw who is revered by so many and can convince men to fight for him just off his charisma alone. Pitt flounders the role badly, lacking the depth to make James more interesting than Casey Affleck's character or even more interesting than James's sidekicks. Here, he plays another charismatic figure, who people instantly seem to take a liking to for his amiable wit and charm. Pitt does much better here than in Assassination, but I can pinpoint the moment where the film starts to drag for me, and that's the first time we see Brad Pitt in all his glory. No age makeup. Just Brad Pitt. Those parts of the film aren't bad. Like I said, he and Blanchett have some great chemistry, but they lack the energy of the earlier stuff with Button as a child and basically an adolescent. Perhaps the most fun part of the film was Button serving on the ship, looking like an old man but performing work of a 20 year old and serving with a motley crew of seamen and soldiers.
From the moment Daisy, seeming like she was emerging fresh from the ether, introduces herself to Benjamin, I wanted them to end up together. The film does an amazing job tracking their relationship and making you genuinely care how these two will end up given the incredible circumstances. Surely no couple has had bigger hurdles to overcome than these two? Well, except for Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Pressley, that is. I found myself completely captivated by the fate of these two ill-fated lovers. That's a credit to both Pitt and Blanchett that they were able to keep it interesting despite the film's bloated running time. Clocking in at nearly three hours, certain parts feel unecessarily lengthy. Nothing outright hurts the final product, but not all of it helps either.
The result ends up much like the title character, a curiosity. A sparkling, beautiful, imperfect, engrossing film if there ever was one. There's been a lot of potential Oscar buzz surrounding this, and I wouldn't be surprised if it got nominated. For me, it probably falls just shy of my short list, but I recommend it highly if for nothing else than the performances within and the most unique love story you'll probably ever see.
7/10
