The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) – 5/5

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) – 5/5

I really liked this movie. It was a like a cross btwn “Forrest Gump” and “The Razor’s Edge.” Not to say it’s as great as though or the best of both, just similar to both in ways.

It was fun to see some scenes I recognized (the cemetary early on is the Mandeville lakefront and the Summer house shots are near there too).

I can’t really say I “got a lot” out of this movie, but I very much enjoyed it. It almost didn’t get a 5, but…

SPOILERS

There were 2 things that bothered me about this movie:

1. Happenstance?

When he describes the series of events that lead up to Daisy being struck by the car (first off, how did he know all those things? I’m being picky, but that’s kinda sloppy filmmaking.), what’s his point? So if one thing had happened differently, she’d still have her career.

Is it that we can’t control our fate? That everything that happens ultimately has some meaning in the grand scheme? That everything happens for a reason or there’s a purpose to everything? That everything has NO meaning – that things just happen b/c ‘b’ follows ‘a’ and it just happens? I wasn’t sure what the point was???

It didn’t seem to fit in the movie… maybe b/c I didn’t see the point.

2. He left!

Why’d he leave his family? I felt that was a big mistake and almost cost it the 5 rating… I’m still not sure. A) They didn’t know if he’d really keep aging/getting younger B) As it showed, it was many years before it wd have been an issue (he met his daughter when she was 13 and he was still of sound mind). Moreover, it wasn’t until the daughter was grown and her husband had passed away that Benjamin really needed anyone to look after him and she basically did it anyway! C) Wdn’t it be worth that cost to be around your child and so that your child cd have her real father!?!?!

I saw his point, but felt he was not only wrong, but groundless in his argument.

I think it made for a better movie so I have to chalk it up to a “mistake” on his part.

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