I was really looking forward to this movie. It came from the director of Fight Club and Se7en (both phenomenal movies) along with Zodiac (supposedly good, but I haven't seen it). The preview made it look epic, emotional, beautiful, amusing, and extravagant. It lived up to some expectations but fell short on others. Here's my quick synopsis:
TCCOBB felt like a mixture of Forrest Gump and Big Fish. It had the story structure of both, following a person as they grow up over the decades and told by a dieing narrator (like Big Fish). It was a movie about history almost as much as it was about Mr. Button, though the historical narrative was more contextual. It's biggest fault though? Even though it took from both movies, it wasn't as gripping as either. The chemistry between Brad Pit and Cate was nonexistent. The characters tried to be round but never changed all that much. I didn't care about Cate's character at all. I felt zero attachement to her and didn't care if she had died at the beginning of the movie. She tried of be like Jenny of Gump and failed entirely. If that one relationship between the two main characters had worked and if I had actually cared about it, the movie would have been amazing, but because the movie was so based on that relationship and because that relationship failed so miserably, the movie was merely okay.
A few quick tips for the director: Get rid of Brad Pitt. He's great in your other movies, but you should have chosen a no-name. The entire movie I felt like I was trying to figure out how they were going to make Pitt look younger or older. If they had picked a no-name, I would have ignored the obvious special effects and probably would have viewed Benjamin Button as a relatable person rather than Pitt with special effects. Next, get rid of Cate, already told you why. She just didn't work in this movie. Finally, cut about a half hour out of it. Preferably of the middle. The relationship with the swimmer was useless and uninteresting.
Some quotes from other reviewers that I agreed with:
- "Not nearly curious enough."
- "...has all the features of greatness except the magic."
- "Its failures are spectacularly highlighted by its overwhelming ambition."
- "It works - kind of - but it takes its sweet time in getting there and leaves little behind truly worthy of remembrance."
- "It's like a box of chocolates, but with hollow centers."
Potential based on Preview: 10/10
Actual movie: 6.5/10
Actual movie: 6.5/10
