Review: the Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Review for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

*****

‘’My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances. While everyone else was agin', I was gettin' younger... all alone.’’

This film is loosely adapted from a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Unlike the original, this is primarily a love story and, as such, relies on good acting and a clear relationship between the two lovers. Sadly, both are missing. The story spans a long period of time but neither Kate Blanchet nor Brad Pitt create characters that are either believable or consistent. Kate Blanchet seems pretty much as she did in Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Brad Pitt is, well, Brad Pitt. Having said this, he does have some good moments near the beginning of the film where we can suspend our disbelief just long enough to see Benjamin Button rather than having to think about Brad Pitt, the actor. But just a moment or two of good acting from the lead is not enough to sustain a film that runs for 2 hours 45 minutes. Tilda Swinton and Jared Harris also give surprisingly weak performances but Taraji P. Henson stands out in her portrayal as Benjamin’s surrogate Mother. I loved the story and enjoyed seeing older actors gracing the silver screen where normally youth, beauty and action shots win the day. But I don’t think this film is anywhere near as good as the makers of it appear to think it is. The most impressive and memorable aspects are the special effects and make up which deserve all the praise they get. Just a shame the acting and directing doesn’t match up.

E Bowe