This F. Scott Fitzgerald novella adaptation is the story of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), born a feeble old man who ages backwards, eventually dying as a baby. Naturally enough, this leads to issues - romance and maturity are OK in the middle years when his physical and mental age meet, but bigger problems arise at either end of the age spectrum. Fitzgerald remarked, "this story was inspired by a remark of Mark Twain’s to the effect that it was a pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst part at the end".
Directed by David Fincher (who reached a new high with last year's Zodiac), adapted for the screen by Eric Roth (The Insider, Forrest Gump).
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The problem with visionary directors like David Fincher is that sometimes, perhaps, we expect a little too much. This fantastical tale, the reunion of the Seven/Fight Club director with Tyler Durden himself, Brad Pitt, has been looking like a potential masterpiece for months. As it turns out it’s not perfect, it’s just very, very good. And that’s ever so slightly disappointing.
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This odd, epic tale of a man who ages backwards is presented in an impeccable classical manner, every detail tended to with fastidious devotion.
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Somewhat bloated and relying on its novelty value, the screenplay lumbers when it should be sprightly, and its rare moments of humour are limited to a running gag about an old man being struck by lightning - seven times. My disappointment with the film is made the more severe by the fact that it strikes so many emotional truths about humanity . . . and is so well made.
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Underpinning it all is a meditation on the double-edged nature of time and the spiralling twists a life takes en route to its end. Time is brutal, the film is saying. Fitzgerald was right about that. Yet there can be moments that defeat time by enduring as long as they remain in someone's memory.
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Naturally, Pitt and Blanchett are outstanding. Fincher's meticulous attention to detail is unerring, down to the light fixtures.
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The outcome may be inevitable from the start, but the emotional punch it delivers captures you by surprise, confirming that this eclectic and overly long journey was worth the watch.
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As enervating as it is long -- and at 2 hours and 47 minutes it is quite long -- this version of the F. Scott Fitzgerald fantasy short story is a baffling project, an endurance test of a movie that feels like it was made on a dare.
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Superbly made and winningly acted by Brad Pitt in his most impressive outing to date.
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is perfect escapism for these uncertain times, to remind us to make the most of the life we're given. It's also proof that mainstream Hollywood can still break out in imaginative, unexpected, oddly satisfying ways.
Full reviewThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button is available to stream in New Zealand now on Apple TV.
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