The Curious Tale of Benjamin Buttons

I have over the past few years, in fact the years since the last Oscar party some 5 or more years ago, neglected my Oscar movie watching duties. I have been inspired by the Golden Globes (less annoying show than the People's Choice) to try to get all the movies in by the time the Oscars happen. I have Netflixed (yes, I am back on Netflix) everything Netflixable and today started my movie going. I started with Benjamin Buttons.

I am honestly unclear about the point of the movie. Ok I understand the "What if" fantasy sort of thing that goes along with such a story but honestly it lost something in the long nearly 2.5 hours of translation. Brad Pitt, Kate Blanchet, Juilet Binochet, and to my suprise Tilda Swinton are the big stars. Set in the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina (unnecessary at best) we see dying mom and daughter who clearly thinks she has better things to do yet torn by wanting to tell her mom she loves her and cure the past. While in the final hours of her death, mom tells the story of a blind clock maker. At this point I thought - wtf is this movie even about. The magic clock runs backwards much like our hero. Enter a baby born on the day the clock is installed. A dead mother and inconsolable and abandoning sort of dad later and our hero is taken in by a wonderful religious unmarried and infertile woman who runs an old school nursing home.

Now I will tell you that the makeup was amazing - it was a little frightening that they superimposed Brad's old face on a young body. Weird. But the makeup was great. The accents were pretty good - almost New Orleans. Kate was too thin and unbelievable as a young ballet star but they did what they could and I love her. Brad's voice as an old man was also annoying and we had to listen to it for quite some time. The whole movie was full of cliches - most of which I can't remember but the one that stuck was "you never know what is going to hit you." It was a life's too short but everything in its time sort of movie. Another creepy thing that happened is when Old Brad was 12 (or 80 something) he met a young kate and Brad fell in love with her then and they had this weird moment under one of those makeshift blanket forts - gross. There was lots of death. OH I will say that the funniest part of the movie was an old man in the film who kept saying - did I ever tell you that I got struck by lightening 7 times. He then told Brad how and when he was struck - when he did this there was an old school reel of the guy getting zapped. It was funny. I also laughed out loud when they showed this CHEESY image of a now younger Brad sailing away from the sunset - horrible.

The bottom line is that there was too much going on - we didn't need the Katrina backdrop, we didn't need so much detail about them being old and him going on a ship and blah blah blah blah. I didn't mind the love story at appropriate ages but gads I just wanted it to end. I cannot imagine why it was up for a Golden Globe in anything and it left a spoiled taste in my mouth. I need to go see another movie - although I do have another Brad movie - Burn After Reading that at least looks amusing.

My review is summed up like this - The Curiously Boring Tale of Benjamin Buttons that is Better Left Unseen. Ever.