The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
The strangest, most eccentric character in Brad Pitt’s rich filmography is his title role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, another good David Fincher film.
Loosely based on a short story written by The Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald, the movie was nominated for 13 Oscar Awards and earned three: for makeup, art direction, and visual effects.
The terrific cast includes Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Mahershala Ali, and Tilda Swinton.
The film tells the story of Button, who is born with the appearance and strength of an elderly man and ultimately ages backwards into infancy. While the story is book-ended by scenes in New Orleans at the onset of Hurricane Katrina (2005), Button’s life journey begins in 1918. Over the years, he navigates his bizarre condition, historical milestones, and romance with his childhood friend and lifelong partner, Daisy (Blanchett).
Pitt’s performance in the movie, coupled with CGI and makeup, makes for a role with a variety of sub-characters built in.
He performed the same person at different ages, but at each of those ages he was inversely represented physically.
Aside from the acting precision of Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a masterful film because of the sentiments it provokes — even through the purview of a character whose life experience is unique and unrelatable.
The movie concerns life’s highs and lows, births and deaths, and successes and failures are all demonstrated through Button’s unusual path and the characters he meets along the way.