Total Number of Ratings: 3
The Curious Review of Benjamin Buttons
Friday, February 20, 2009 11:43 PM
I just don't know about this film.
On the one hand, I cried through the entire movie and never felt manipulated into it. I wasn't a constant blubbering mess or anything, but I probably didn't spend more than 10 minutes without a tear in my eye. It isn't that Benjamin's tale is necessarily sad, it is just all-encompassing. A movie that chronicles a man's life from birth to death, with the added "bonus" of having bookends of a baby in a tragic predicament is certainly going to have a plethora of tearjerking opportunities. The movie certainly takes them all, but does so in a very gentle way. I never felt like I do in so many subpar films that I was being manipulated by fuzzy screens and swelling music to get me to cry. Maybe this was because it's a great film and naturally evoked these emotions or maybe this was because it was just really great at manipulating me. EIther way, it works without making me feel foolish, which is a rare achievement.
On the other hand, there is something a bit too "Forrest-Gumpy" about the whole thing that makes me sort of roll my eyes at it in retrospect. It does writers everywhere a disservice to credit this to being written by the same screenwriter (Eric Roth), but the connection is there. That being said, it doesn't feel like Se7en or Fight Club, and not only do they share a lead actor with Benjamin, they also share a director (David Fincher). The Gumpian parallels, though, they are many. Like Forrest, Benjamin's tale includes a mother full of unconditional love for her special son, a hardened war veteran with a heart of gold, a sweet girl the son falls in love with the moment he met her, and lots of lessons to share with the robust ensemble cast. Also like Forrest, there are several "this should not be happening" moments in the film that made me uncomfortable and more importantly, threw me out of story and back in the theatre. Does this make the movie bad? Not necessarily, but it leaves me with a "not so great" taste in the back of my mouth.
And then there's the acclaim.
On the one hand, everyone not raising a family with Angelina Jolie was phenomenal. Cate Blanchett is in extreme danger of being dismissed because like Streep and Dench before her, she's just always flawless. She was flawless in this and if there's one "Oscar miss" I'm upset about this awards season, it's this one. Tajari P. Henson, whom I want didn't want to like because i haven't really liked her in anything else was impressive, and I can understand why she has the Oscar nomination over the Divine Madame Blanchett. My favorite non-Blanchett was definitely Jared Harris, who played Lieutenant Dan, erm, Captain Jack, but every one of the people that pass through Benjamin's life did a terrific job. The movie almost warrants a second viewing, just to focus on the aging effects on all the main characters. The directing, writing, special effects and makeup, costuming are all top notch, and without being able to compare them to every other film nominated in production categories, I'm not surprised they're nominated.
On the other hand, there's Mr. Pitt. If this movie has a weak link, he is it. There is just something about Pitt's acting style that doesn't sit well with me, and in this movie, it's out in full force. At times, the camera just sits and basks in his absurd hotness, and he's perfectly obliging. When he's "acting," he seems content to just sit back and let the movie move on around him. Very Gump-like, actually. I know that the slow Southern drawl doesn't help that, and I wouldn't be surprised if his slow reactions are a conscious choice, but I just don't like it. For all of the "youth is wasted on the young" talk, he certainly doesn't seem to be taking much advantage of having the youthful body and the wise mind, at least when Blanchett isn't around. I will concede that it might be the role and that Keanu Reeves or some other lethargic gent (James Franco, Ryan Gosling) might have easily replaced Pitt and I'd be complaining about them right now, instead. To be fair, none of them are as easy on the eyes as Mr. Pitt, and I think you need someone with that much beauty to bookend the Blanchett. Pitt can stay, even if I'm not particularly pleased with it.
All this has left me a bit confused. As touching as the story is (did I mention the persistent waterworks?), I'm worried that I might not feel the same the second time around and like Se7en and Reign of Fire, all I will be able to see is the flaws. Or it will shatter my hardened soul completely?
In the end, the question comes down to worth. Was it worth spending $150 million to make and millions more to promote? I...I think so? I felt like I got my money's worth out of my ticket price, certainly. It's in danger of getting over-hyped but it's the first pass was worthy enough. As such, the movie has ended up somewhere in "pretty decent" zone for me: a solid B+ for Benjamin's Buttons.
Respond
Masterful "hotness" linkage. I was unable to connect with Benjamin most of the film. Oddly, I think this had less to do with the actor and more to with the character. For the most part, I thought that Benjamin took everything in stride a bit too well. He never hit me emotionally.
I also couldn't stop my brain from making Forest Gump comparisons, which took me out of the film.