The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Expert clock maker Monsieur Gateau (Elias Koteas) looses his son in WWI.  Inconsolable, hecrafts a clock that goes backwards; in the hope that it would bring back his loved one.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, based very loosely on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tells the story of a man who is born old and grows younger.  His mother died in child birth and his father, repulsed by his appearance, abandons him on the stairs on a rest home (ironically the perfect place for a baby born as an 80 year old man.)  Benjamin (Brad Pitt) is rescued by Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) who raises him as her own.  The film takes us through his life – the people he meets along the way and those who impact his life, particularly a girl named Daisy (Cate Blanchett).  She is narrating the story from her hospital bed – not only to us but also to her daughter.  She meets Benjamin when they are more or less the same age however it takes some time for them to catch up to each other.

Initially they go their separate ways.  Daisy becomes a dancer and Benjamin works on a tugboat.  They meet other people before it is the right time for them to be together.  However when they are reunited, their happiness is ephemeral.  They are only given a limited amount of time together before their bodies start to head in opposite directions, reminding us of the transitory nature of love and life, and our inability to stop time.  As Benjamin gets younger, many of the people he loves grow older and pass on.  He has to leave Daisy and their daughter, as he cannot be an adequate father.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is beautifully shot and the visual effects used to age Pitt and Blanchett are exquisite.  Both of them deliver great performances – they are so dreamy together!  The pace of the movie is very slow, but it is an enjoyable watch.

 

G. Dwyer