The life story of a man who is born as an old man and grows younger every year and the adventures, lives, and heartache he encounters.
J.’s Review:
Although this film is long, clocking in at nearly 3 hours, it didn’t feel long to me. That’s not to say that I didn’t notice how long it was because I was enraptured, only that it wasn’t painfully tedious in it’s longevity. It’s based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel of the same name (which I’ve never read), and tells the story of a man born old who ages backwards. The central story was just fine. I was bothered through the whole film by a short storyline at the beginning of a clockmaker who builds a clock that runs backwards. there was no explanation given as to how this clock relates to Benjamin or why that portion of the story was even included. Buggy. The special effects and makeup were superb throughout, although in his adolescence, he didn’t seem to age (or reverse-age, as the case may be) nearly as dramatically as he did through other parts of the film. Overall, it’s a cute show that could’ve been a great movie had it been edited down to under two hours. The real travesty here is that Brad Pitt was nominated for an Oscar (Best Actor) for this movie, and not Burn After Reading.
Megan’s Review:
It is no great secret that Brad Pitt can act. He was fab but, even more impressive was the make-up and special effects department. Wow! When Benjamin is 7 years old he is the cutest little old man you have ever seen. The story grabs you immediately. I just wish it would have held me longer. Cate Blanchett was great. She carried many of the scenes. Be prepared for a very long movie. I felt like it was too long and not because of the time that passed but, more over the story couldn’t carry the amount of time invested. They could have easily cut 20 minutes out and made the flick fantastic! It was cute, and tender, and entertaining. Maybe not the best story ever written. There were several big story flaws, & holes and it was told in the over used “dying woman confessing her life’s story” fashion but I guess I can forgive the lame premise because of where the ride takes you.
