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revdorothyl at 01:08pm on 03/12/2008 under movie reviews
revdorothyl at 01:08pm on 03/12/2008 under movie reviewsOn Monday, a part-time co-worker gave me a free pass to a special showing of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" scheduled for my local multiplex yesterday afternoon, and since I can't resist a free movie ticket, I took off work early (I have more than enough unpaid overtime hours from previous weeks to cover the difference) and went, even though I had no idea what the movie was about.
Without spoiling anything for anyone (the movie doesn't officially open in theaters until December 25th), I can say that I recommend it.
I got to the theater about five minutes late (got stuck in line behind several people making elaborate credit card purchases of advance tickets, only to learn that I could've walked straight in and handed my 'free pass' flyer to the ticket collector), so I might've missed something crucial or symbolic in those first few minutes, but I didn't feel lost, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of the 2 1/2 hours+ that I did see. In fact, I was surprised when it ended (I expected more of a Hollywood-style 'spoon-fed' conclusion, rather than the somewhat open-ended possibilities and imagery I was left with), but not at all dissatisfied, by and large. And most of the people in the very large and fairly full auditorium spontaneously applauded as the end credits started to roll, so satisfaction with the film seemed to be widespread and even stronger in some people than in myself.
If you've seen any previews or ads on TV for this film, or are familiar with the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story upon which it is loosely based, you already know what I forgot until I sat down in my seat yesterday: Benjamin Button (played by Brad Pitt during most of the film) ages backwards from everyone else physically, though he still develops mentally and emotionally and remembers in the same way that everyone else does (he can't 'remember the future' as the Merlin in "Camelot" was said to do, as a result of his aging backwards).
So, Benjamin's unique perspective on life and living isn't derived from some supernatural ability to start out with all the knowledge and experience and wisdom that most of us only gain through too-painful trial and error over the course of our years on earth, really. Instead, it's the disconnect between how he feels emotionally, on the inside, and his apparent physical age on the outside, and the way everyone's expectations of him are shaped by his physical age.
I felt myself particularly well able to identify with Benjamin in the first third of the movie when he was mentally young but physically old (indeed, most of the people in the audience seemed to react strongly and positively to his character at that time, and almost all of them seemed to be my age or considerably older -- the folks you'd expect to be able to see a movie starting at 4 PM on a work day, in fact), based on my own experience as a child and young adult.
Even without my own particular experience (in my youth, and possibly even now) of always looking much older than my actual age (and therefore having people expect me to behave like an adult when I was 10 years old, or to know as much as a 10-year-old when I was only 6, I suspect that EVERYONE can identify on some level with having the world perceive us one way, while we feel and perceive ourselves quite differently on the inside.
Even now, when I think I finally look about the age I actually am, I can say that -- like most people over 30, from what I hear -- some part of my memory and personality still thinks I'm in my 20's, and I can be honestly surprised sometimes when I catch a glimpse of my reflection unexpectedly, wondering, 'Who's that old person there in that mirror?' Meanwhile, another part of my Self wants to join Maurice Chevalier in a chorus of, "I'm So Glad That I'm Not Young Anymore" from the Lerner & Loewe musical "Gigi".
In the final analysis, this is an unexpectedly (to me) hopeful movie, with a fairly reassuring message about persistent possibilities and not getting too twisted up inside with artificial limits on what we should be or can be at this or that stage of life, or the chances we've missed along with way. 'You never know what's coming to ya', and 'It's never too late, or too early' to make a change.
Without spoiling anything for anyone (the movie doesn't officially open in theaters until December 25th), I can say that I recommend it.
I got to the theater about five minutes late (got stuck in line behind several people making elaborate credit card purchases of advance tickets, only to learn that I could've walked straight in and handed my 'free pass' flyer to the ticket collector), so I might've missed something crucial or symbolic in those first few minutes, but I didn't feel lost, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of the 2 1/2 hours+ that I did see. In fact, I was surprised when it ended (I expected more of a Hollywood-style 'spoon-fed' conclusion, rather than the somewhat open-ended possibilities and imagery I was left with), but not at all dissatisfied, by and large. And most of the people in the very large and fairly full auditorium spontaneously applauded as the end credits started to roll, so satisfaction with the film seemed to be widespread and even stronger in some people than in myself.
If you've seen any previews or ads on TV for this film, or are familiar with the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story upon which it is loosely based, you already know what I forgot until I sat down in my seat yesterday: Benjamin Button (played by Brad Pitt during most of the film) ages backwards from everyone else physically, though he still develops mentally and emotionally and remembers in the same way that everyone else does (he can't 'remember the future' as the Merlin in "Camelot" was said to do, as a result of his aging backwards).
So, Benjamin's unique perspective on life and living isn't derived from some supernatural ability to start out with all the knowledge and experience and wisdom that most of us only gain through too-painful trial and error over the course of our years on earth, really. Instead, it's the disconnect between how he feels emotionally, on the inside, and his apparent physical age on the outside, and the way everyone's expectations of him are shaped by his physical age.
I felt myself particularly well able to identify with Benjamin in the first third of the movie when he was mentally young but physically old (indeed, most of the people in the audience seemed to react strongly and positively to his character at that time, and almost all of them seemed to be my age or considerably older -- the folks you'd expect to be able to see a movie starting at 4 PM on a work day, in fact), based on my own experience as a child and young adult.
Even without my own particular experience (in my youth, and possibly even now) of always looking much older than my actual age (and therefore having people expect me to behave like an adult when I was 10 years old, or to know as much as a 10-year-old when I was only 6, I suspect that EVERYONE can identify on some level with having the world perceive us one way, while we feel and perceive ourselves quite differently on the inside.
Even now, when I think I finally look about the age I actually am, I can say that -- like most people over 30, from what I hear -- some part of my memory and personality still thinks I'm in my 20's, and I can be honestly surprised sometimes when I catch a glimpse of my reflection unexpectedly, wondering, 'Who's that old person there in that mirror?' Meanwhile, another part of my Self wants to join Maurice Chevalier in a chorus of, "I'm So Glad That I'm Not Young Anymore" from the Lerner & Loewe musical "Gigi".
In the final analysis, this is an unexpectedly (to me) hopeful movie, with a fairly reassuring message about persistent possibilities and not getting too twisted up inside with artificial limits on what we should be or can be at this or that stage of life, or the chances we've missed along with way. 'You never know what's coming to ya', and 'It's never too late, or too early' to make a change.
(no subject)
(no subject)
I wouldn't call it a 'great' movie by any means. Regardless of his apparent physical age along the way, Benjamin still has to live his life forward and understand it backward, like Soren Kierkegaard and all the rest of us.
It's only the way he's perceived and treated by others that makes his experience interesting, and you could say that of most people who are regarded as obvious 'outsiders' in society for one reason or another (maybe he's just the Forrest Gump of Geriatrics?).
There's some interesting stuff along the way about perceptions of aging vs. the realities of it, and getting past our fears and stereotypes. Also, I enjoyed the supporting characters (Benjamin's adoptive mother is delightful, and I got a kick out of his first employer; plus, I like seeing Tilda Swinton in a not-evil role!).
But I found it a gentle, entertaining film that ended more with a fizzle than a bang for me.