The Case for Benjamin Button

The curious case of Benjamin Button, based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about a man named Benjamin (Brad Pitt at his best) who ages against the laws of nature; he gets younger with time. Benjamin's story is read out of a diary as a dieing wish from a mother to her daughter. His story reminds me a little of Forest Gump as we follow his expedition through unusual life experiences different form any other man's. His mother died giving birth to him and he was abandoned and left on a stoop by his father. He was taken in and raised in a nursing home, where he fit in perfectly at his young/old age, by a women named Queenie (Taraji P. Henson, a wonderful performance) and was raised and nurtured by her motherly love. He eventually leaves the home to set off on his journey; destination- wherever life takes him. His larger-than-life path through friendship, war, love and his battle with time is unforgettable. The movie progresses in the same pattern as Benjamin Button does, starting slow and becoming more alive and exciting as time goes on. Although the movie had a slow moving plot I didn't feel at any time that I was bored. Ironically the short story was adapted into a very long movie (159 minutes), which I can see feel like a drag to some, but I thought it was well directed (directed by David Fincher) and the time well used. I must say I don't notice this in many movies but the makeup, costume and set design was quite impressive. The 45 year old Brad Pitt plays a convincing eighty year old man as well as seventeen year old. This was accomplished through manipulation of makeup and costume design. Also one can see the clear difference between the 21st century hospital set and the mid 20th century setting of Benjamin's life and I felt the difference in the time periods. The acting by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett (plays the love of Benjamin's life Daisy) as well as the rest of the cast was superb. Overall a really great movie experience. I grant it 3 1/2 stars.