The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Review By MovieGuyMatt

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, directed by the great David Fincher...of course I was excited to see this film.

Before going in I noticed that the running time is 166 minutes. That is a long, looong movie. Naturally that made me just a tiny bit anxious, because if the film ended up being bad, well, that's a long time to spend in a bad film.

Fortunately, I barely noticed its rather ambitious length. There were no moments where I really felt that the film was dragging or in any way uninteresting. This was due, in large part, to the exceptional performances by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

Of note as well is miss Taraji P. Henson, who plays "Queenie," the woman who raises Benjamin. I had seen her in a few flicks before,(Four Brothers, Smokin'Aces, and The Family That Preys) but now, I hope very sincerely to see MUCH more of her. Her performance was very impressive.

I was reminded while watching this of "The Notebook." The story is different in many many ways, but the love story between Pitt and Blanchett's characters had that same timeless, indefatigable feeling. It seemed as if nothing could quench it, suppress it, or destroy it. It was a very moving tale, set against a rather interesting backdrop.

Fincher's directorial style here was less evident than I was hoping for, as he usually has such a flair for amazingly beautiful camera work. That isn't to say that the cinematography was not good, because it WAS very well done. It just didn't have the look I have come to expect from Mr. Fincher's past works.

The Oscar buzz surrounding this film is understandable, and I think well deserved. The pacing is brilliant, considering the film's length, and the overall story was quite well worth telling as well as worth watching.

I don't know if its something that bears many repeat viewings, but skipping it entirely would be a huge disservice to yourself, as well as the people who put this exceptional film together.