Synopsis:
Benjamin Button (Pitt) ages backwards. At the age of 50, he falls in love with a 30-year-old woman (Blanchett). As the two of them literally grow in opposite directions, they must come to terms with their relationship.
Our Thoughts:
Brad Pitt re-teams with David Fincher this winter in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in the bizzarest sounding movie of the year.
Brad Pitt stars as Benjamin Button, a man who ages backwards! Joining him on this odd trip are Cate Blanchett (Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull (2008)), Elias Koteas (Zodiac), Jason Flemyng (Stardust (2007)), Julia Ormond (First Knight) and Tilda Swinton (The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (2005)).
While the cast seems impressive, it’s interesting to see Julia Ormond back in the swing of things. After all, she’s kind of disappeared since her heyday with Legends Of The Fall and First Knight (only showing up once since, in the recent I Know Who Killed Me (2007)). A good performance in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button could go a long way to get her back into leading lady status - or it could ceement her new supporting actress status.
While the cast is impressive, the special effects in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button are generating all the buzz. Supposedly, the aging process Brad Pitt goes through in the film is incredible, and viewers will be stunned by the special effects.
Sure, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, with it’s all-star cast and special effects hype, seems like it should be a must-see in theaters. But I’m not so sure.
With Brad Pitt and David Fincher having a so-so track record (Se7en was boring, Fight Club was amazing) this third effort could go either way.
Judging by the preview, this one looks to be more of a romance novel brought to life than anything else. It’s probably going to generate some Oscar® buzz - but like last year’s Atonement, chances are the average guy is going to be a bit bored.
Since this looks more on par with Meet Joe Black instead of Fight Club, chances are we won’t be checking this one out until it hits DVD.
