The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

A captivating film with all the earmarks of a modern classic. I think at this stage in Fincher's career it would be redundant to speak of the man's copious amounts of technical skill, so I'll just say that his work in this film doesn't disappoint in the least. Button doesn't have the structural brilliance of Zodiac, and screenwriter Eric Roth at times struggles with how to form the story to best illustrate the themes, but all in all I think this is a terrific adaptation. Defying all odds Pitt betters his Jesse James performance as the title character, and is certainly one of the great pieces of acting this year. Blanchett I thought wasn't right for her part, but she does an excellent job nonetheless, and the all the supporting players are very strong. Ultimately although Button's story is on the surface quite strange, it really is nothing more than one man's life story. Every phase of our progression as human beings is evident in the film, and it is consistently easy to identify Benjamin Button's circumstances as our own. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button can best be described as a much larger and more thoughtful take on David Lynch's The Elephant Man, but without the crushing emotional power. I thought it was a great film, but I didn't fall in love with it the first time.