Human Interest Story

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (five stars total) is the first five star film that I've reviewed here. That's not to say it's the first five star film I've seen, but it is just as complex, dark, haunting, thrilling and well-crafted as The Dark Knight, which was the last five star film I saw. Granted, Brad Pitt is my favorite character actor next to Johnny Depp, but I've never much cared for Cate Blanchett's performances, and I loved her here. My favorite things in film are cutaways and inserts, especially when they're comical and/or surreal. The guy being struck by lightning seven times counts for both. I walked in late to the screening, started up the stairs for the stadium seating, and had to sit down on the top step because I couldn't see in the dark to find a seat. A guy on the aisle moved over and whispered for me to sit next to him. I'll agree, there's nothing spectacular or halfway provocative about that story, but I share it here because it sums up my experience with Button. It's all about humanity and subtlety. Theatrical trailers tried to make the film look like another special effects vehicle, but there's nothing spectacular aside from the how obvious and practical it is. Fans of David Fincher's past work in Se7en and Fight Club tried to make the film sound like another scarring and shadowy work by the director, but there's nothing provocative about all the death aside from how natural and ordinary it is. The story is simple yet thoughtful. I heard someone complaining afterwards about the length, but I appreciated the time to think. Consider the parallels between youth and old age, what turns a boy into a man, and being able to tell exactly how many years you have left to live (barring accidental death or terminal disease). The music score reminded me of the Bach piece above, which I first heard on the trailer for a Robert Downey Jr./Jamie Foxx film, The Soloist (out in April). The soundtrack goes from Scott Joplin to Louis Armstrong and The Platters to The Beatles. If I could only recommend the film for one reason, it surprisingly would not be for my favorite editing technique, or the Oscar-winning special effects, not even the music. It would be for the emotion. I had one of those cries that clenches your stomach and makes your face feel weightless from draining tears. There's real sadness in the film, but it's not depressing or sappy. It's unfortunate that I missed the beginning, so could someone please explain the clock to me?