Tonight I saw "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." I have wanted to see it since I saw the first trailers for it a few months back. I really liked it. It is by no means a very daring or controversial film, but it is ground-breaking in other ways, mainly the technology to create the aging and reverse-aging of characters. It is beautifully shot and well told. It made me laugh and it made me cry and I don't care that that's what it was "trying" to do. The movie elicits emotion and I enjoy seeing films that do that. People can call in manipulative, but isn't that what we want? Don't we want a movie to affect us in some way? To "manipulate our emotions? Whatever.
Brad Pitt is pretty wonderful. He is definitely fun to look at as he gets younger. He's a gorgeous man, there is no doubting that. It was pretty funny to hear the audience… well, the women in the audience let out a collective "gasp" the first time we get to see Brad sans wrinkles! It's like, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot how beautiful he is… and was… through the magic of the reverse aging technique we get to pretty much see Brad Pitt in his twenties again!
Alas, I hate when I come out of a movie feeling so happy and fulfilled only to return home and read a few negative reviews and they almost make me doubt my initial reaction to the film. I have such an open mind when it comes to my opinions on movies that unfortunately I am easily swayed by compelling arguments. The same thing happened to me after seeing "Wall-E" in the theater. I was completely satisfied upon returning home, then I read a few negative reviews and suddenly I wasn't so sure I liked it anymore. I had to sort of mentally smack myself up-side the head to remind myself that I really did like the movie, love it in fact.
As I said, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" isn't a mind blowing theater going experience, but it's a great example of storytelling using the most modern and up to date means. When we get over our predisposition for fast paced, edge of our seat, action packed, eye candy on the big screen it's really one of the best films to come out in a long time. I highly recommend it for a dinner and a movie date.