On the day Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, Daisy (Blanchett) is laying on her deathbed in a hospital there. Accompanying her is her daughter (Julia Ormond), as she is asked to read the diary of Daisy's lifelong friend, Benjamin Button (Pitt). The diary goes into extraordinary detail of how Benjamin was born with an age disease that gives him little chance of survival, but surprisingly survives and gets younger as time progresses.As he was abandoned by his biological father (Jason Flemyng) - whose wife died while giving birth - he was raised by a woman named Queenie (Taraji P. Henson). As Daisy's grandmother lived in the same neighborhood, that's how Benjamin and Daisy met, and over the years, separate but contact each other throughout the years.
Every aspect is beautiful in the film, particularly the art-direction. The scenery is a joy to look at, particularly the scenes when Benjamin is at sea. David Fincher's direction is also terrific, as every shot is perfected with care and enhances the joy of viewing Benjamin and the make-up performed on him and Blanchett.
The character study is rich and stunning. The characters and their personalities entrance the viewer and hold their attention the whole time. The performances are top-notch, with Pitt giving the performance of a lifetime. With a fantastic screenplay from Forrest Gump writer Eric Roth, he does a sensational job of adapting F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story and bringing these characters to life.This film is magical. No other fantasy film is like this one, and seeing Blanchett in her old makeup (filmed last because of getting hot from the lights and the blanket) really makes the viewer sympathize with her, even if she had done wrong. You can see the sense of innocence Benjamin has from his old age as a child, and David Fincher does good again. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button receives a 3.5/4.
