 |
 |
|
The Similar Case of Benjamin Button -A Review of the Curious Case of Benjamin Button- By Edward Landa The Curious Case of Benjamin Button serves as an attempt to rekindle the old romance of the audience and a Forrest Gump-like character. Benjamin Button is a more mystical Gump with a much stranger tale of aging, mostly because it is backwards. Both, Gump and Button, share a love for a childhood friend with which they wish to attain the American dream; settle down in a nice little house with a white picket fence, a television, a backyard, and of course children to fill the rooms. Yet Button finds it difficult to settle with the love of his life as she has a mind beyond simple extravagance a mind more in love with dreams of superstardom and the immortal immersion in art than anything else. Button, once more like Gump, is a at heart a simple man who doesn’t ask for much, yet finds himself inspiring legends and changing history with his bare hands. Benjamin Button is born old and grows up, or rather down, to youth. The story follows the eventful life of this strangely aging man as he encounters all of the trials and tribulations of life; love, war, work, children, death, and friendship. It is true; that the major overtone of the film did emit a similar odour to Forrest Gump, but on its own two feet the movie fared rather well. Starring Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button and Cate Blanchett as the love of his life, the film had a cast with immense acting potential. Blanchett was perfect for the role of disillusioned lover, and apart from simply being a pleasure to stare at capped it all off with a great performance. She managed to dig deep into the heart of the character to waltz out a great façade of emotions, most notably her disappointed state of being, and her envious amazement at Benjamin’s condition. Pitt, on the other hand, seemed to take on a very experimental role for his career. He showed his strength in, what is arguably his greatest film, Fight Club, and has been able to perform extravagantly in similar psycho-witty films. Playing as a somewhat of a mystical character, an all-American simple man with not much psychotic wit and even less of a desire to let go of the wheel and slam a car, Pitt found himself in a very questionable role. Although most scenes were performed well, and quite believably, watching Pitt there was always an aura of distrust in the character, followed by the unanswered wait for him to break away and become the Brad Pitt we all remember; a man of ambition, drive, torque, and a goal achievable at any cost. Yet, he remained the shy and unsure Benjamin. The film bears historical references, including Hurricane Katrina, as the story takes place in New Orleans. Although I must say Hurricane Katrina was terrible, it seemed not only forced, but quite misplaced in the film. It seemed almost as a pushed note to create a junction between reality and this mystical tale so that it would appear more believable. Getting rid of the hurricane reference including other historical events and perhaps focusing more on the tragic romance between Benjamin and Daisy would have allowed David Fincher to steer clear off of the Forrest Gump running track. Moving, out of specifics and nuances of similarity The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a beautiful film. Touching at times, and maintains with it a pleasing story. The overall taste of the film is bitter-sweet, which would constitute that it is not overly depressing nor is it a joyous laugh, it is simply a movie about an odd life, a life that is so odd in its appearance yet so similar in its value that it warms the theatre regardless of the tempering winter outdoors. Overall, Benjamin Button is a decent film, with the occasional witty line and the lovely face of Cate Blanchett, the movie itself shares similarities with Forrest Gump and if just because of that deserves a watch or two but nothing monumental or overly devotional; a decent film on a large budget. |