Well now, we've gotten the first article out in quite some time. Alas, it was full of vinegar for the media and pleading for people to go see the movie. It never really...examined the movie. I guess it just takes a minute to settle in again. Let's see if we can't get back on track with our next entry: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
As always, we thank IMDB.com for the brief synopsis with as little a spoiler as possible: 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918 to the 21st century.
Truth be told, I am finding it hard to write about this movie. Certainly there are a million little things that happen during the near 3 hour run time of this film. That's not the problem. The problem is, which thread to hold on to and grasp firmly. It would seem obvious to write about the road that our main character takes through life and all the events that transpire around him. But then I would be holding back. Because, while this is Benjamin's story seemingly, it is also the life story of countless other people. This is the life story of everyone around him and without their stories we wouldn't get Benjamin Button's.
When you write a character like Benjamin, one born with such an obvious difference, people will tend to gravitate there attention solely to that oddity. That would be a mistake, as I sat through this movie I realized that Benjamin's birth was merely a window for us to look through. He is our guide on the journey that the movie takes and while he is certainly front and center, I believe that we are meant to take in everything around him. From the moment his father abandons him, to the kindly women that accepts a strange baby on the step, to the loves of his life, to the places he travels, to the men he travels with, and finally the place he finds in this world for himself. All of it. We are meant to examine all of it through his experiences, all the while not forgetting what brought us to this tale: the sad story of a man born the wrong way.
I alluded to the movie Forrest Gump in the title, but there is one difference that I now see. Gump's life was also one of travel and history before our eyes, but there is one glaring difference. Forrest had an active influence on every event he witnessed. He affected in some manner history while it happened, thus making his an improbable but highly exciting life. In our movie, rarely does Benjamin act in any manner that would influence events. He is merely one of the currents in the river. On the occasions where he consciously takes action, it never works the way he hopes and certainly causes some sort of pain to someone else, if not himself. The epic in both films is there, the road is much, much different.
The bright shining spot in this movie is all the supporting cast. Every one of the characters shines in some fantastic way. You'll laugh all the way through at Benjamin's surrogate mother, enjoy all the various elderly people that Benjamin grows up with, agonize as the love of his life slips through his life again and again, and feel just a little bit sad as we are simultaneously read the story of his life through a journal and experience the life of Daisy, the one he just couldn't or wouldn't hold on to. I almost didn't the mention the highly eccentric tugboat crew that Benjamin meets, but I don't want to spoil you now, do I?
Brad Pitt puts forth an excellent performance in this role, and while I could see many other actors pulling this character off well, he was suited for it. I see a lot of naivety in this character, much like his character of Death in the film Meet Joe Black. His transformation is amazing throughout the film and while he doesn't physically play every moment of his character life, his face and voice are there throughout. Kudos to the special effects team on a wonderful job. No doubt there is at least an Oscar nomination for costume and makeup in the near future.
Cate Blanchett plays the second main character of Daisy as we see her life unfold in front of us in tandem with Benjamin's. I love watching Cate Blachett on screen. I can't pinpoint any one thing, I just know that she entertains and I must chalk it up to her being an excellent actress. She certainly doesn't disappoint in this film either. Her trials are just as eye opening to the main plot as Daisy narrates us through a second plot of the film; her entirely separate life away from the man she could apparently love, would she only give herself the chance.
I have to mention two other performances before I close out. First, the job done by Taraji P. Henson is top notch. Her portrayal of Benjamin's surrogate mother Queenie is heartwarming and hilarious throughout the film and she does a fantastic job bringing that character to the screen for the audience to love. Second, Jared Harris brings the character of Captain Mike the tugboat man to life in this film and he's just another odd, eccentric man for the audience to laugh with and at. Both characters add spice to the film and it would be noted if they were played any differently.
Of final note, Julia Ormond makes an appearance in this film. She is the catalyst for the story in one sense, as Daisy is recalling her life to Julia's character Caroline, while at the same time discovering the story of a man named Benjamin Button. Ms. Ormond has been very active in European cinema the past few years, and it was a pleasant surprise to see her pop up here in an American film after so long. I assume her association with Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall must have had something to do with it, and I wish we could see much more of her in the future. She knows her craft well.
Lastly, we are giving The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 3.5 backward moving clocks out of 5. This is a perfect movie for a rainy afternoon on a Saturday or Sunday. I didn't mind paying matinee prices and I would also recommend it for a slow afternoon on the couch as a dvd rental. In fact, you can thank a rainy Saturday in Portland for this review, otherwise I might have skipped right over this movie. I'm glad I didn't.
I'm just saying,
Elijah.
