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http://blog.nola.com/mikescott/2008/12/the_curious_case_of_benjamin_button.html

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
4 stars, out of 4

There are other films headed for one Oscar race or another, but few of them can realistically be considered credible contenders in as many categories as director David Fincher’s masterfully told fantasy epic “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

What Fincher and company have created is a beautifully rendered heart-tugger, a film that is as moving as it is meaningful. With its wonderful performances, makeup, visual effects, score and screenplay — and no small amount of humor — “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is the total package, a deftly assembled fairy tale that unspools like a pleasant dream.

As you probably remember, “Benjamin Button” is the hugely budgeted, and eagerly awaited, Brad Pitt vehicle that was shot largely in and around New Orleans for several weeks in late 2006 and early 2007 (with some filming, though far less than in New Orleans, done in Montreal and Los Angeles).

Curious indeed, since the 25-page F. Scott Fitzgerald short story that inspired the film was set in Baltimore.

Funny what tax incentives will do.

But even if the re-setting of the story was made for purely practical reasons, New Orleans has become a meaningful character in this version of Fitzgerald’s story, and it is sensitively and tenderly portrayed. Within the opening minute, an early 1900s version of Jackson Square shines onscreen — resplendent and nearly untouched by the art department — as Pitt drawls in a missed-it-by-that-much New Orleans accent that he was born “under unusual circumstances.”
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in ‘The Curiouse Case of Benjamin Button.’

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
4 stars, out of 4

Plot: A fantastical tale, based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, of a child who is born as an 80-year-old and ages backward through life.

What works: Nearly everything, from the acting to the visual effects to the screenplay. It’s a beautiful bit of storytelling.

What doesn’t: The sound editing early in the film is jarring, as the director’s choice to dub the voice of at least one main character is evident and far from seamless.

Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton. Director: David Fincher. Running time: 2 hours 39 minutes. Rating: PG-13 for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking.

RELATED LINKS

• On the Web: Official site for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
• From the TP: Seven-part series of video vignettes on “Benjamin Button.”
• From the TP: More on “Benjamin Button.”
• From the TP: The Times-Picayune’s A-to-Z movie review archive.
• From the TP: More movie news and reviews from Times-Picayune movie critic Mike Scott

Unusual is right: As in Fitzgerald’s story, the title character was born with the body of an 80-year-old man. As the years tick by, he gets younger.

As Benjamin backs his way through life — his first words, his first steps, his first love — there are streetcars, there are Sazeracs, there is a Community Coffee sign.

Even Hurricane Katrina, which has become a compulsory talking-point in any conversation about the city, plays a poignant role in the film’s bookend structure, with the story’s opening and closing scenes taking place in the last days of August 2005.

The storm’s presence is partly an acknowledgment of the city’s continued suffering — as well as an opportunity to work in cameos by local weather forecasters Margaret Orr and Bruce Katz — but it also serves a nicely conceived storytelling function, perfectly underlining the film’s core message.

(Poignant, yes, but also potentially painful — albeit it briefly — for Katrina survivors, who may have lived through it all one time too many.)

That message: Live life, and love it. Because, well — tick, tick, tick …

Pitt turns in a bravely understated performance, as his Benjamin is mostly a passive observer to the lives of the wonderful characters that whirl and spin around him over the 87 years covered by Fincher’s film.

Every bit as good is Taraji P. Henson, as Benjamin’s adoptive mother, Queenie. As she seems to do in every role she plays, Henson brings a wisdom and wit to the table that is sure to earn attention this awards season.

It helps that the script gives Queenie so many wonderful lines — hers is an absolutely lovely character — but it’s Henson who delivers them with such sweet charm.

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/1343647,pp-moviereview-122508-s1.article

Here’s my list of the Top Ten films of 2008, in alphabetical order, with an extra helping of honorable mentions.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” In the wrong hands, this story about a man who’s born 80-something and adopts a good-natured attitude toward aging in reverse could have been hampered by whimsicality the way young Mr. Button is hobbled by arthritis. Fortunately, director David Fincher, best known for such entirely non-whimsical efforts as “Seven,” “Fight Club” and “Zodiac,” offers just enough of a dark sensibility to “Benjamin Button” to keep things from turning to treacle. Brad Pitt strikes just the right note of bemused fatalism in the title role (though he’s only acting from the neck up, apparently, in many scenes with his head transplanted onto age-appropriate bodies via CGI). “Button” is funny, charming, unselfconsciously philosophical and it features a fresh new take on love stories — with Ben and his soulmate (Cate Blanchett) doing little more than waving from a distance for the most part as they age in opposite directions.

# 851 QQQQ @ 12/25/2008 at 10:55 pm
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passing Through @ 12/25/2008 at 10:48 pm
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It’s a pity people-tab and the other blogs wont feature these tid-bits. She was dead weight that came to a dead END!
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LOL. I just had this picture in my head of X as a 5′4″, 110 pound doorstop. Brad probably wondered why all the doors in the house were always open…it was because X was standing in front of them keeping them from closing. BUT…he fooled her ass and left the front door open and never looked back.

# 855 teri @ 12/25/2008 at 11:10 pm
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Omg, I just got back from seeing Benjamin Button…..it’s wonderful! The whole audience was into it and Brad should get an Oscar for this.
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I haven’t seen any of the other actors’ work who are in contention, but I’m willing to bet that Brad has the least showy role, the least dialog and the least amount of “drama” to work with. His performance is so quiet and still. I disagree with one critic who said he thought Brad had underplayed it too much. I think anything more would have been too showy and overwhelmed the overall tone of the film. I think it’s easy for actors to play grandiose, larger than life roles like Milk and the character in The Wrestler, but it takes a hell of a lot more restraint to pull back and not force the character too much.
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Also, I think the fact that Brad got a SAG nom helps his chances considerably because that means that actors understand and appreciate his performance - even if some critics didn’t get it.
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BTW - saw the trailer for Revolutionary Road just before CCOBB. Total. Snoozerama. The audience was underwhelmed, as was I.
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They also had the trailers for a couple of romcoms - the Katherine Heigl/Gerard Butler movie…looked stupid, wasn’t funny, they had zero chemistry; and Bride Wars with Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway, which looked pretty good and did make me laugh. I think maybe Kate has finally found a way to make a romcom that’s not too cliched - her co-star is a woman, not a man! But, as I was watching the trailer I couldn’t help but remember the stories about how mean KH was to AH while they were filming. Rumor had it she was petty and jealous of AH’s success and was hell-bent on proving SHE was the star of the movie, not AH. Apparently Kate H doesn’t share well with other women…

# 855
passing Through @ 12/25/2008 at 11:28 pm

Yeah, no mentioned of X’s name. Wazz up with that? X and her posse’ will be pissed.

Scientology followers probably supported tom’s movie today. Of course your fav friend/stlaker will claim victory for tom. didn’t fuggy said that tom will kick brad’s ass? LOL!

Merry Christmas to you and everyone on board.

# 855
passing Through @ 12/25/2008 at 11:28 pm

jared where is my post?

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I noticed that too. finke did not even mentioned x’s name. x and her pr posse’ will be pissed.

i think your fav friend/stalker will claim a win for tom. didn’t he claimed that tom’s bo will kicked brad’s? LOL!

must hurt to be so wrong all the time.

opps, sorry for identical post. i thought my post was lost to cyberspace.

# 864 Xmas Day end guesstimates @ 12/25/2008 at 11:52 pm

#1 Marley and Me.. $15million

#2 CCOBB..$13 million

#3 Bedtime Stories..$10 million

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What’s the source? IF CCOBB did $13MIL today, if the numbers keep up then it could do about $30-35MIL for the 4 day weekend. Typically Fridays are big movie days and Saturdays are even bigger with about a 30% drop-off on Sundays. But hoping for CCOBB to do $13MIL on Friday, $15MIL on Saturday and $10MIL on Sunday is a little unrealistic because that ould be a $53MIL 4-day weekend…two times the highest prediction…

I do have one question though..how can they guesstimate this early in the evening? Can these figures be trusted at all? They’re just guessing.

Box office gross per screen:

CCOBB — $4350 ($13 million from 2,988 screens)

Mutt movie — $4,310 ($15 million from 3,480 screens)

Bedtime Stories — $2716 ($10 million from 3.681 screens)

Tiny Tom’s movie — $2582 ($7 million from 2,711 screens)

The mutt movie is running well in the midwest and the south and CCOBB is running strong on both coasts.

Big question is which movie will develop legs. I’m betting on CCOBB (due to where it’s running well, GG nominations and Oscar buzz) and possibly Valkyrie. The mutt movie will probably run well through the new year while the kids are out of school and tank after that. Very few people are going to want to see it twice.

passing Through @ 12/26/2008 at 12:16 am
What’s the source?
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www,drudgereport.com.

CCOBB is making more $ per screen than the mutt movie. I think Doubt is going to pick up steam and the mutt movie will fade after the holidays. It was marketed as a holiday film and it has nowhere to go after the new year.