Coming-of-Youth story

My my, Benjamin Button, how big ears you have.

...

WTF

To derail off the tracks for a moment here, I want to mention a fascinating little tidbit about Frost/Nixon and Doubt.
Both have a lot going for them, talented performers, based on reputable stage pieces, and a formidable amount of buzz.
Therein lies the rub, perhaps, they are a little too similar. The consensus has been growing, and somewhat firmly reached on Awards Daily, that the two are going head-to-head for the Oscar nod. No one is talking big money here (as in the top golden statuette), but nom. Milk seems to be in a category all of its own, whereas there seems to be a wave of supporters for Revolutionary Road flooding various shores.

This is where I get back to my main point. Benjamin Button is glorious, a total cinematic Joie de Vivre, so beautifully romantic and epic. The music, the production design, the seamless effects, the ambitious story, the grand direction and witty writing.

It is a superlative fairy tale for the ages, and I cannot believe how much I was in this contorted little world for several hours.
Magnificent in every sense, I felt deeply saddened that I had to leave the theater, finishing the story unfold, as wonderfully as it did.

The acting never struck me square in the jaw, but I appreciate that on a different dimension altogether. I was never cognizant of that particular aspect because everything sprung to life so vividly. I think, in a film like this, not noticing the acting says loads more about the fine quality of acting witnessed here than anything. Brad Pitt's stunning transformation is bound to having female audience members gasping in their seats, but more importantly, one grows to really love this acutely off-kilter character.

Maybe it is a testament to Pitt as an actor, but I seem to really care for most of the characters he brings life to, and I think there is a lot more to this guy than meets the eye.

In any case, the film is an absolute marvel, being very smart in covering this enormous scope of time and not doing what Gump did. Certainly, the whole point of Gump was his influence and the film's premise almost wholly relied upon particular historical events. What we have here is much more charming and genuine, a character aging backwards. It is such a complex premise, but it is deftly designed. Button's metamorphosis from a quiet unassured being into a wise and laconic young man is very detailed and organic, always staying true to Button's fascinating persona.

More than anything, it is too early for me to tell really, but I feel like the film makes you open your eyes to the beauty of life and all the wonder that we inexplicably turn a blind eye to every day. Benjamin Button is a pragmatic dreamer, and his paradoxical nature and lushly comforting world-view indefinitely rubs off on each and every audience member.
I feel different, and it is more than I could ask for from any film.

I have a gripe, it is small. I thought it would hurt the film, and less than a few hours has passed, but I couldn't even recall it.
I had to, literally, ask myself whether I had any outstanding complaints. I am not a fan of the narrative framing device Fincher uses, I think it needlessly breaks up segments. Perhaps "needless" is the wrong word to employ here, it is somewhat necessary as a branching tool, but I just wish it was more exciting. What happened is that I kept waiting anxiously while we put the film back into the camera, waiting for Button's story to continue unfold. Maybe this was Fincher's intention, and so be it.
The fact of the matter is, it doesn't bother me nearly enough to stop the film from being my favorite of the year.
I sincerely laud the filmmakers, well done.

--DM