'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' review

Cate Blanchett (Credit: Merrick Morton/Paramount)

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When he’s born, Benjamin (Brad Pitt) has the mind of a baby but looks like he’s in his 80s. As his actual age increases, his body gets younger and younger, growing up backwards so that as a teen he looks past middle aged and in his golden years he looks like he could star in “High School Musical.” Benjamin is raised in a retirement home by his adopted mother (Taraji P. Henson) and gradually learns about booze, sex and love, all while hoping to connect with his lifelong love, Daisy (Cate Blanchett). The film is told in flashback while Daisy, now elderly and near death, lies in the hospital and her daughter (Julia Ormond) reads Benjamin’s journal.

The buzz: Based on a remarkable true story! OK, not really, but the 166-minute “Button” is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The odd storyline and presence of director David Fincher (“Zodiac”) have us hooked. Worth noting, however: While the concept is unusual—it’s a bit more involved than Robin Williams’ “Jack,” or, for that matter, his backwards-aging Mork from Ork—the woman-recalling-a-story-on-her-deathbed structure sure isn’t.

The verdict: Not nearly curious enough. What could have been a profound examination of how life looks for someone learning in reverse—and how that perspective helps or hurts in the long run—is minimized to construct a love story that’s neither moving nor convincing. Pitt’s performance never unpacks Benjamin’s unique struggles or highlights what’s so special about his life. (For example, how different would high school be after a lifetime of wisdom?) Fincher delivers a handful of stunning images—Blanchett’s moonlight dance is particularly gorgeous—but little else achieves any sense of grandeur, settling into relatively ordinary stuff about loss, fearing death and living like you mean it. In fact, between Benjamin’s wistful narration and his salty sea captain pal and his protective but increasingly ill mother, you begin to wonder when the guy’s going to remark that life is like a box of chocolates.

Did you know? Anyone who enjoys some old-school patriotism will enjoy the retirement home resident who every morning wanders outside naked to raise the flag. And no, that’s not a euphemism.

Video: Watch the review of 'Benjamin Button'

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