Adapted from an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the life story of someone who is born as an old infant, and who then spends his 80-odd years growing younger (in body at least).
For David Fincher (whom I associate with making some of my favouite - and dark - flicks: Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac) it's a soft, elegiac and romantic movie, and deserves some kind of Oscar recognition, although it's up against a lot of stiff competition this year, and will probably be regarded as a little 'light' purely for it's fantastical premise.
But it's a heavyweight movie too, full of amazingly 'complete' characters that Button encounters on his travels, and in the central love story that resonates throughout the years. Button meets Daisy (an incredible Cate Blanchett) when she's a child and he an 'old infant', and their connection continues to a point where they meet in the middle, fleetingly the same age. Beyond that Button continues to grow younger and Daisy older. I won't give away more than that. There's a huge amount of pleasure to derive from Button's two and half hour running time. There's a beautiful framing device that uses Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans; an exquisitely drawn encounter with the wife of a spy in Russia (played by Tilda Swinton) and some staggering effects work that portray Pitt and Blanchett through 80 years.
A classic bit of cinema.
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