Benjamin Button is an unusual individual, born with a curious abnormality. Hence the title.
Mr Button was born as an old man and grows younger with time. The reason behind this is never really explored, nor is it very important. The film begins with a clock maker who, after losing his son in WWI, makes a public clock which ticks backwards in hope that his son, and all the other lost sons, may one day come home. The clock was put up when Benjamin was born and taken down when he died, but is otherwise unconnected to Benjamin's life or the plot of the film.
The film tells the life story of Benjamin, as told by his diary and the woman he loved on her death bed. Born as WWI came to an end, his mother died in childbirth and his father rejected him as a monster. He spent his early years as an old man in an old folks home, under the care of his adopted mother. Everyone around him expecting him to die regrettably young.
But as the years went by he became younger, stronger, more full of life. Heck, he became a regular little Brad Pitt.
The film is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald published in 1922. It was adapted for the screen by Eric Roth. For those who don't recognise the name, this is the same writer behind the legendary Forest Gump.
Having the same writer has led many to comment on the similarities between the two films. Button, like Gump, begins life with little hope, but with a mixture of fate, chance and the love of his mother he goes on to see the world. Button, like Gump, meets the love of his life when they are both "young" and keeps falling in and out of a relationship throughout the film. They both end up as father's who aren't around to see their children grow. They both fight in a war. They both meet a crazy captain. They both lead extrodinary lives and star in great films.
Still, the comparision is unfair for Button. Seeing the film by itself is like finding a pretty decent bag for a very reasonable price. Beautiful design, good quality leather, everything you could hope for. Comparing the film to Forest Gump is like finding that your bag is an immitation of a bag worth ten times the amount. Suddenly your lovely bag is branded as a knock-off and loses some of its original shine.
Button is a good film, certainly worth a watch, but it's not Gump. Despite many many similarities, Button is lacking in two key ingredients. Innocence and sense.
Gump shows the world through the eyes of a man who never really stops being a child. He knows right from wrong, and although he's "not a smart man" he "knows what love is." This simple innocence gives the film a magical quality which makes it enjoyable to watch time and time again. Button, on the other hand, is a man who never really gets to be a child. The film is therefore harsher, more "grown up" perhaps, and uncomparible to Gump.
Declaring that a film lacks the "sense" of Forest Gump may seem a little odd, and may possibly not be the right word, but Button is certainly lacking. The following examples contain spoilers, so for those who haven't seen it, just trust what you've read so far and go watch the film.
Firstly, the daughter seems to know nothing of Benjamin or her mother. She doesn't know her mother used to be a dancer, it comes as a surprise, despite the fact that one clip shows her at 12 years of age in her mothers dance school, where her mother teaches dance.
She doesn't seem to know that her "dad" is not her real dad, despite the fact that her real dad left her after the age of one and, presumably, her new dad didn't come on the sceen for a few weeks/months. Sure she might have been too young to, say, remember what her dad looked like, but she must have had some memory of her dad suddenly changing into a different man.
Their is a major flaw in logic when it comes to Button ditching his family. He leaves because his daughter deserves a father who will grow old with her... wtf? Why? Because it's soo much more comforting to see your parents go old and grey than young and healthly? He leaves because his wife won't be able to look after them both. He won't actually be a kid for another 20 years, by which point the daughter could look out for herself anyway. This point is proved by the fact that the mother DOES end up looking after Benjamin anyway!! (The daughter at this point magically disappears. Also, her replacement dad grew old and died before this time anyway.) It just doesn't add up. Growing young is simply not a big disability, certainly not enough to ditch your wife and child over and still try to look like the good guy.
I can't be a father. 20 years from now I might be small and cute. You both deserve better.
It's guys like this that make Fathers for Justice need to work so hard to be heard.
Still, overall it is a nice film.
