The temperature has begun to rise here lately, so I decided to take a few hours to cool off by watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button over at the budget theater.
This was a film that I was highly anticipating when it came out late last year. It had a pedigree cast, a superb director and an interesting story. Obviously the film did something right as it managed to score quite a few Oscar nominations. However, it scored only a few actual wins and I think the Academy like me, felt there was just something missing that prevented it from being better than what it was.
Given all of the elements I listed, it seems like this is a can't miss yet somehow it didn't quite make it's mark. In many ways this a great film. Most of the credit belongs to director David Fincher. Fincher continues to get more ambitious and daring with his projects and succeeds each time. This is a beautiful looking film, which is doubly impressive given the scope of the story. Fincher properly conveys the varying times depicted in the film and also adequately handles all of the genres that make up this complex narrative. Fincher, along with Christopher Nolan, is quickly becoming one of the greatest directors of the modern era.
A seperate mention is deserved for the visual effects that depicts Brad Pitt from 80s to his 20s. It is truly remarkable how they were able to do that and make it seem realistic that we were watching a senior version of Pitt on the screen. I have no doubt we'll being to see more of this technology used in other films in lieu of the ridiculous makeup currently used to try and convey age in actors.
Speaking of the actors, both Pitt, who plays the titular Button and Cate Blanchett, who plays Button's love interest, Daisy, turn in great performances. Neither actors tries to do much with their characters, when it could have been easy to make them over-the-top; Pitt, in particular. They also have a good chemistry, which is important to the story. You also have excellent supporting work from people like Tilda Swinton and Taraji P. Henson, who was nominated for her role as Button's adoptive mother.
What bothered me about the film is that I didn't feel more after it was over. At close to three hours, this films tells a long story about Button's interesting life but it never really drags. Yet, when it was finally over I wasn't sure how to react. Without spoiling too much, Button lives a full life and gets to enjoy love and adventure. Despite the oddity of aging in reverse, Button doesn't seem to suffer too many setbacks from it. It ends up the problems you have when you're very young are similar problems when you're very old. The way the story plays out, Benjamin Button could have led the exact same life had he aged like a normal person.
If the film had a larger metaphor, then that was lost on me. The film is structured so that we learn about Button's life through a diary that is being read by Daisy's daughter while Daisy is on her deathbed. There could have been potential for some grander meaning to come from this, especially since that part also involves a unique clock and Hurricane Katrina. But I never really got the importance of any of that and it seemed to simply be a narrative device.
The movie is similar in a lot of ways to Tim Burton's Big Fish. But I felt that story did such a better job of providing an emotional punch and expressing the importance of life, happiness and familial bonds. Benjamin Button strolls along telling one unique event after another in his life with no real payoff. You keep waiting for these moments to matter, but it never occurs.
I still want to stress that this is a very well made movie. Oddly enough, however, I thought the best scenes in the film were the few action-oriented scenes. Moments like Button fighting during World War II or even the imminence of the hurricane are very cool and well done. Having seen them here, I would be really interested in seeing Fincher attempt a war film. And that's coming from a guy who typically doesn't appreciate that genre. But back to this film, I credit it for being a technical masterpiece, but fault it for failing to move me.
This movie comes out on DVD next week and it may play better on the small screen. Watching such a long film from the comfort of your own home may allow you to better connect with the characters and story. I know it certainly didn't help me having a screaming infant behind me and a need to pee starting about halfway through the film while I sat in the theater. Maybe without those diversions I could have enjoyed this too. But I don't know for sure, so I just have to report what I felt. Marvel at the film's style, but don't worry about having a box of kleenex nearby. Grade: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment