The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (PG-13) 159 minutes B-
Living, loving and leaving ass backwards
Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas, and Tilda Swinton
There is a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding this film but I predict that it will not win an Oscar for Best Picture (although it will probably be nominated). This film is 159 minutes long and it felt 159 minutes long. That's not to say it was a bad film because it's not. It's entertaining, original (written by F. Scott Fitzgerald), and at times, endearing.
Brad Pitt gives a very solid performance as Benjamin Button and by the end of the film he totally wins me over. Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton are delightful as always, and Taraji Henson was good despite her character having limited range and depth.
The story is framed by Daisy (Cate Blanchett), as she clings to life in a New Orleans hospital. Daisy recounts the events (the who, what, when, where, and how) through dairy entries read by her daughter Caroline (Julia Ormond). It seems that Ormond could have been utilized more effectively in another role or not at all. I hated this part of the film; the dying mother telling her daughter this amazing story as she struggles for breathe. I was totally annoyed by this ploy, not to mention that it aided in drawing out the film for 159 minutes.
By the end I understood/accepted why they framed the story this way (even though it drips with sappy melodrama), and that aside, I was generally entertained by this sad and odd coming of age story. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is worth seeing on the big screen, just be sure to take a potty break before the film begins.
No comments:
Post a Comment