Benjamin has all sorts of unusual adventures over the course of his life, it is his relationship with Daisy, and the hope that they will come together at the right time, that drives Benjamin forward.
Mostly, the film is an orgy of excess, in which Fincher indulges his passion for luxuriant image-making, with little regard for whether the story merits (or can withstand) such grandiose treatment.
There are worse films than The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and those 15 masterful minutes may well justify the price of admission. But there's a lot of movie before and after Swinton's cameo.
A man who ages backwards will never be able to bond to another person in a truly meaningful way. We can barely be expected to return affection that isn't there.
Fincher's visual mastery and Pitt's charisma almost compensate for a gimmick in search of a meaning. The more time Fincher gives viewers with Button, the thinner the character grows.
The Patriot Ledger
July 19, 2015
Converts an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story about a man aging backward into an overly long exercise in pseudo-profundity bearing little resemblance to its source.
An epic, melancholic romance that employs a multi-generational cast and groundbreaking visual effects. It's a testament to Fincher's skill as a storyteller that the film actually works, albeit sporadically.
