*Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen the movie yet!
Leann and I saw Benjamin Button last night, and we both agreed that it lacked something: an overarching sense of purpose or meaning for Benjamin's incredibly unique experience. I found myself detached from him and unaffected by his death. It was a story with a beginning and an end, but nothing that tied it all together.
The attempt at a "Big Fish" like ending seemed unsuccessful as they showed images of all the people whom he had met and who had an impact on his life. Benjamin said they had impacted him, but his character never seemed to do anything that showed he had been affected. He occasionally played piano (which he had learned from the old woman), but never seemed to derive any joy from it. He seemed to coldly experience his own life as an onlooker. It's hard to explain, but Benjamin never seemed fully engaged with the things he was experiencing; as though he was simply being carried along by circumstances. He would meet people, and simply go along with them. Even his affair with Elizabeth seemed circumstantial. There was no good reason why he loved her besides the fact that she was around and willing. His love for Daisy was equally unenthusiastic.
I don't know how much to attribute to the script and how much to attribute to Pitt's acting, but Benjamin seemed so unaffected by everything. I left the theater feeling like I would be fine with never seeing the movie again, which definitely rules it out for "Best Picture" in my mind. The film had some ambitious visuals and a great cast, but nothing to make it truly classic; nothing that makes me want to watch it again. The connection with hurricane Katrina seemed unusual and unnecessary as well.
Someone please tell me what I missed because I know a lot of people liked the movie. When it was over I just wished we had gone to see Frost/Nixon instead...
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4 comments:
Adrian! Welcome to Blogspot land. We're happy to have you. You can find Devin on one of the links on my page, but he never updates anymore so it may be useful only for harassing him.
I agree with your assessment of Benjamin Button. In my mind, the criticisms you bring up would be mitigated if the film weren't 3 hours long. 180 minutes is surely enough time to round out those things that were lacking. I will say that it was the most beautifully shot film I've ever seen. I couldn't help but notice that every frame seemed to have been meticulously choreographed as a work of art. In fact, the most glaring detraction for me is the scene where we see Pitt basking in the light of his youth while piloting a small sailboat on the ocean, the sun setting in the distance. It was TOO well choreographed - like a Thomas Kinkaide painting.
I'm off to see Frost/Nixon tonight. If you haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire, do so as soon as you can!
I agree that Slumdog Millionaire was awesome. That's the only other best picture nominee I've seen thus far, so I guess The Reader and Milk are next after Frost/Nixon. Let me know what you think of it!
Thanks for the review of Button, Rach and I want to see it mostly because of the mix of reviews!
Thanks for reading!
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