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Movies / On DVD / The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

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Reviews Counted:11

Fresh:7

Rotten:4

Average Rating:6.6/10

Consensus: Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an epic fantasy tale with rich storytelling backed by fantastic performances.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking.

Runtime: 2 hrs 46 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:06-02-2009

Synopsis: At once epic in scope and intimate in detail, David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is certainly the director's most emotional film to date (though FIGHT CLUB and SEVEN don't offer... At once epic in scope and intimate in detail, David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is certainly the director's most emotional film to date (though FIGHT CLUB and SEVEN don't offer much in the way of competition). Loosely based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story, this romantic drama tells the tale of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), born in 1918 in New Orleans as a baby with wrinkles, cataracts, and arthritis. Benjamin will age backwards, getting younger as he watches those around him growing older. Included in that group are his adoptive mother, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), and Daisy (Cate Blanchett), the love of his life whom he meets when she is just a little girl and he is an old man. They age in reverse, but despite Benjamin's globe-trotting adventures, their lives repeatedly intersect. The script from Oscar winner Eric Roth bears more than a few hallmarks in common with his earlier work on FORREST GUMP: both adaptations cross decades and continents. But BENJAMIN's script or even the fine acting aren't its most impressive accomplishment; the technology--both CGI and makeup--used to make Benjamin and Daisy age are remarkable, and makes the film entirely believable, but they're certainly aided by fine performances from both Pitt and Blanchett. The triumph of technology only serves to underscore the beauty of this film and of the love story at its heart. [More]

Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton

Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas, Julia Ormond, Elle Fanning

Director: David Fincher

Director: David Fincher
Screenwriter: Eric Roth
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Cean Chaffin
Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Studio: Paramount Pictures

[See More Credits]

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    Daisy Returns
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    Never Had a Woman
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    RT Review Revue - Benjamin Button, Bedtime Stories, Marley and Me, Doubt, The Spirit, Valkyrie
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1 - 4 of 13

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Reviews for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

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1 - 11 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Remove "curious" from the title and replace it with "twee and pointless", and you're close to it. What a incredible shaggy-puppy of a movie, a cobweb-construction patched together with CGI, prosthetics, gibberish and warm tears.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment 10 Comments
02/06/09
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
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The anti-Slumdog Millionaire: a film that's stately, tasteful and genteelly melancholic rather than fevered, rollicking and euphoric. It's a film about time that seems almost out of time.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
02/06/09
Sukhdev Sandhu
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph
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Aptly for a film so concerned with time, Button is 13 minutes shy of three hours and just flies by. If this is Fincher selling out, can he sell out more often please?

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment 1 Comment
02/05/09
Ian Freer
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
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An epic, melancholic romance that employs a multi-generational cast and groundbreaking visual effects. It’s a testament to Fincher’s skill as a storyteller that the film actually works, albeit sporadically.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/05/09
Tom Huddlestone
Tom Huddlestone
Time Out
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An unusual conceit brilliantly executed. A moving work of golden fantasy poised just above the dark waters of our own mortality.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
02/05/09
Matthew De Abaitua
Matthew De Abaitua
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It is a tedious marathon of smoke and mirrors. In terms of the basic requirements of three-reel drama the film lacks substance, credibility, a decent script and characters you might actually care for.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
02/05/09
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leaves you colder than it should, and it shouldn't leave you cold at all.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment 11 Comments
12/29/08
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button sighs with longing and simmers with intrigue while investigating the philosophical conundrums and emotional paradoxes of its protagonist’s condition.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment 1 Comment
12/25/08
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Given the resources and talent here, quite a movie might have resulted. But it's so hard to care about this story.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 38 Comments
12/25/08
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An epic tale that contemplates the wonders of life -- of birth and death and, most of all, love.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
11/25/08
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
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A richly satisfying serving of deep-dish Hollywood storytelling.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/24/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
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1 - 11 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

May 04, 2009: RT on DVD: Benjamin Button, Bollywood Kung Fu, and a Special Twilight Set
Award season armchair jockeys should check out a few notable Oscar and Golden Globe contenders this week, including David Fincher's visionary epic film about a man who ages... More...

February 01, 2009: Slumdog's Danny Boyle Wins DGA Award
Danny Boyle takes home another win for Best Director from the Director's Guild of America -- could Oscar gold be just around the corner? See who else was nominated this year in... More...

January 22, 2009: Oscar Nominations Announced: Benjamin Button Leads With 13
The Oscar nominations for 2008 have been announced. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads with 13 nominations, while The Reader makes a surprisingly strong showing. The Dark... More...

January 15, 2009: BAFTA Nominations Announced Opens in new window
The full list of nominations for this year's BAFTA Film Awards. More...

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