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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button |  | Director: David Fincher
Actors: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Faune A. Chambers, Elias Koteas
Studio: Paramount
Category: Movie
This item is no longer available
Rating:  265 reviews
Sales Rank: 8308
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 166 Minutes
ASIN: B002C4YYEU
Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 2008
Release Date: November 30, 2009
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| Synopsis:
On the day that Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, elderly Daisy Williams nee Fuller is on her deathbed in a New Orleans hospital. At her side is her adult daughter, Caroline. Daisy asks Caroline to read to her aloud the diary of Daisy's lifelong friend, Benjamin Button. Benjamin's diary recounts his entire extraordinary life, the primary unusual aspect of which was his aging backwards, being born an old man who was diagnosed with several aged diseases at birth and thus given little chance of survival, but who does survive and gets younger with time. Abandoned by his biological father, Thomas Button, after Benjamin's biological mother died in childbirth, Benjamin was raised by Queenie, a black woman and caregiver at a seniors home. Daisy's grandmother was a resident at that home, which is where she first met Benjamin. Although separated through the years, Daisy and Benjamin remain in contact throughout their lives, reconnecting in their forties when in age they finally match up. Some of the revelations in Benjamin's diary are difficult for Caroline to read, especially as it relates to the time past this reconnection between Benjamin and Daisy, when Daisy gets older and Benjamin grows younger into his childhood years. |
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 265
 HAUNTINTLY UNFORGETABLE September 2, 2010
Kym McNabney (Illinois)
For me, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button stirred up an assortment of emotions. Where in the world did the writers get such an idea? What came to mind immediately when I realized what was going on was PROGERIA, a rare progressive genetic disorder that causes children to age rapidly? I'd watched a few documentaries on it over the past few years, and what happened to Benjamin Button seemed to be the reverse. That could have been a contributing factor to the unsettling emotions it elicited.
As bizarre as the situation was, the story held your attention from beginning to end. The acting was outstanding. The emotions that surfaced were bountiful. It really made you stop and think...about life, people, love, those that are different then us.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a story that will remain with me for a very long time.
 This movie sucks September 2, 2010
W. Fisher
TCCoBB is a terrible film. It's tedious and overlong. The love story is ineffective. Cate Blanchett (bless her heart), as an old woman, gives an uncommonly bad performance that borders on parody. The aging backwards thing is a gimmick which adds nothing to the film. The dialogue and screenplay are the films biggest faults. The screenplay does not have an original idea in its silly head (but plenty of cliches). The dialogue is hammy and unnatural sounding; the film's attempts to be profound fail miserably. The exploration of death is unoriginal; this territory was infinitely better explored in Six Feet Under. What can I praise about this film? Swinton is superb as usual and the only interesting character. Pitt gives a good and convincing performance, even though his character is very bland. The film looks very pretty and the special effects are excellent. None of these things come close to compensating for the films weaknesses though.
Edit: I did not find this film depressing at all since I felt no emotional involvement in what was going on. The screenplay was written by Eric Roth who also wrote Forrest Gump, another monumentally overpraised movie (which is condescending and intelligence insulting as well).
Down with Hollywood Formulas August 15, 2010
sprint (USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this movie b/c I was hoping it would be a unique and meaningful spin on the short story upon which it is based. It didn't really work b/c you could almost hear the Hollywood execs in the background asking for a hit that would be as successful as "Forrest Gump." All of the story & style elements were there, so you can see how it passed muster with the guys in the back room.
1. It is told in a narrative that is identical to the Forrest Gump approach and the main characters have a southern drawl
2. It has a "Mama" figure in it, that pretty much serves the same function as the Sally Field role. She raises her misfit son, loves him unconditionally, says "you never know what's comin' after you" (aka "box of chocolates, never know what you're going to get, etc.) and she dies.
3. There is time spent on the seas with a crusty "Lieut Dan" type of character
4. Benjamin writes his love interest all the time from everywhere like FG
5. Cate Blanchett character even says "I gotta go pee" like FG does
6. There is no reason why the Cate Blanchett character would be that drawn to BB as the love of her life-- not to mention the notion that she comes across as somebody who is not into guys anyway.
7. BB becomes independently wealthy just like FG
8. BB voice over tells us what valuable lessons he's learned along his way just like FG
BB is to FG what Lady Gaga is to Madonna.
Stop the formulas, Hollywood.
Or at least make them less obvious.
In the end, a rather annoying and depressing movie. Mostly annoying- unless you have not seen Forrest Gump.
A gem August 6, 2010
R. Ericsson (New York City)
In the vein of F. Scott Fitzgerald this is a study of life under unusual circumstances. Like in his other novels Fitzgerald has put people into extraordinary situations. The director and tech teams have delivered this unique story to the screen in spectacular fashion....without losing the humanity of the original story. After the first couple of scenes you stop trying to spot the special make-up and effects and just enjoy the waves of emotion evoked by the players. Highly recommended.
Spectacular! August 6, 2010
Khaled Altaher (Riyadh, NA Saudi Arabia)
Brad Pitt plays the role of Benjamin, who was born in 1918 however unlike all babies, he was born an old person. He had the physical appearance of a 70 year old, however the age and mind of a new born. He gets physically younger when time goes by and experiences life inversley, from older to younger.
I thought the plot was superb. I am not sure if there is a disease that gets people to get younger rather than older, but I once read that there is a boy in the UK who is growing old very fast and the doctors are so confused with his case. But still, I never heard of a case where someone starts old and dies young.
Brad Pitt was great! All the others actors did a wonderful job in this movie too. The direction and customer designing was breathtaking, especially the scenes when Brad Pitt acted as a 70 year old man then at the end of the movie as a teenager.
This movie is a must buy!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 265
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