I'll start with all of the things that were good about this movie and there were plenty. Front and center is Brad Pitt. With all of the time "Brangelina" spend in the tabloids, it is easy to forget how immensely talented this guy is. In the title role as Benjamin Button, he hits it out of the park. The acting as a whole in this movie was top-notch. There really wasn't a bad performance. I also loved the concept of a person born as an old man and begins to age backwards. The cinematography was also very good and was shot to sort of look "of its time" (much of the movie takes place in the 30s and 40s). The film looked a little darker than I would have liked, but that was an intentional effect. Now, after all of that positivity, there was also a lot that went wrong. For one, the running time is simply too long. Many lengthy novels have been turned into shorter films and this was based on a short story!! I think I would have loved this film if it was edited a little more tightly. The opening sequence where a man builds a clock that runs backward goes on for about 20 minutes and adds nothing to the story. It merely sets up the concept of time in reverse, but has no other ties to this story. The sequence was completely unnecessary. The main plot of the movie is Benjamin and his relationship with Daisy (Cate Blanchett), who he meets as a little girl (he himself is around the same age, but appears to be around 80) and they remain in contact while they "grow up" and end up meeting in the middle and getting married. Of course, this becomes an issue as she starts to grow older and he is headed toward childhood. It is the story of a love that never wavers despite all of the reasons it just could never work. I wanted to like this movie, I really did. Sadly, when you boil it all down, it felt like a missed opportunity for something great (despite the Oscar nomination).Grade: C
Trailer:
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