The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (DVD)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett. Born in 1918, Benjamin Button (Pitt) ages backward from age 80. Blanchett plays Daisy, the love of his life, who ages normally -- and therein lies the dramatic tension of the movie. Benjamin and Daisy seem fated to be together, but because of his condition, they can't be. In spite of the interesting subject matter, this film left me unsatisfied. The main reason, as best I can tell, is Brad Pitt's performance. Instead of playing Benjamin Button as a young man in an old body, growing into a mature man in a young body, he does the reverse -- Benjamin as a "baby" seems unnaturally mature, and as an "old man" seems childish. It might have been difficult to play the other way, but I think it would have been more convincing and more moving. Besides, the movie is two hours, forty-five minutes long. Grade: B-