28 February,2009 09:01 AM IST | | Tushar Joshi
What's it about: David Fincher brings to life a short story by F Scott Fitzgerald that talks about love, compassion and the eternal hope for a better tomorrow. We all know it's a story about a man who ages in reverse. Born as an old man, he starts getting younger asu00a0 time ticks away. Told in a flashback style, the story begins when 80-year old Daisy (Cate Blanchett) starts reading from a diary belonging to Benjamin Button (Tom Cruise) who she dated at some point in her life. Filled with events happening in different time lines, the story revolves around Button and his strange condition. It's a premise never before attempted or told, and that's what sets it apart from the rest. As the film nears its end, we travel along with Button as he approaches his childhood after experiencing both love and loss along the journey.
What's hot: Brad Pitt takes to Button with a hunger to make the most out of Fitzgerald's imagination. David Fincher leaves no stone unturned to use the latest technology and make-up wizardry to bring his screenplay to life. Cate Blanchett as Daisy is remarkable. Her reunion with Button after a gap of few years is beautifully captured. Fincher succeeds in creating an intimate atmosphere throughout the film, taking us very close to and inside the life of Button.
What's not: Since the story jumps from one timeline to the other, there isn't enough scope and chance to let the subtleties sink in. Screenwriter Eric Roth fails to tie the loose ends in the script that distract you as we keep going back and forth in narration. The treatment and style of the film is unlike any other, hence you need to be patient in the 2 hour 45 minute film that takes its own time and pace to develop. Even though performance-wise, Pitt and Blanchett are fabulous, their chemistry and on-screen pairing doesn't do justice. The special effects and CGI overshadow the simplicity of the story and that's what remains with you in the end.
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What to do: A genre and technique Fincher hasn't attempted before, the film has technique but lacks a cohesive soul.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
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Dir: David Fincher
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P Henson
