the curious case of benjamin button would seem to have everything go for it major star and an enormous budget and and a conceit that can not be beat . however and in the end it that very conceit that hamstring an otherwise wondrous piece of movie making . fincher character tend to be psychos and paranoiac and obsessive and some of whom struggle vainly against the darkness in their own soul and but many others who have embrace it . benjamin button be none of the above and and that perhaps his problem . button and bear under unusual circumstance in 1918 new orleans and spend his early life literally surround by death and raise and a he be and by an orderly in a home for the elderly . a a prematurely old man himself ( an effect achieve by fantastic mocap work from pitt ) and perhaps it not surprise that a he grow into a body with which he may truly engage the world and he be more content to observe appreciably . now and this may be true to the spirit of the character and but unfortunately for fincher and his screenwriter and eric roth and it doesn not make for very interesting cinema . at a recent screening and roth refer to button character a the anti gump and a classification that seem both apt and problematic . this film will certainly earn comparison to robert zemeckis modern classic ( also write by roth ) and but where that film have a truly fascinating central character and who experience a many mistake and tragedy a victory and happiness and fincher and roth protagonist be a cipher . there a telling sequence around the middle of the film and where button and by now a merchant seaman hole up in a dingy hotel in murmansk and strike up a relationship with a bored wife of a minor british official ( tilda swinton ) . unable to sleep and they meet each night for tea and good conversation ( and later and sex ) . but instead of let u hear what those conversation be about and he simply create a montage and set to music and of various meeting fade into one another . by the time swinton character depart the film and we know next to nothing new about benjamin other than that he have trouble sleep and like hot tea . the fact be that even swinton character and on screen for perhaps fifteen minute and be more engaging . it a frustrating glimpse of what might have be and have the filmmaker choose to put the character before the gimmick and instead of the other way around . which bring u to cate blanchett . a daisy and whom benjamin meet a a young girl and who grow into a luminously beautiful and troubled ballet dancer and blanchett shine as brightly a she ever have on screen . unlike benjamin and daisy be not content to simply accept whatever life throw her way she have dream and attempt to act on them and and do her best to lead a normal and interesting life . benjamin and passive a always and must quietly observe a she grow out of the playmate of his youth and into a somewhat headstrong woman who nonetheless possess of enormous potential . his loyalty pay off and though and when circumstance bring them together again at a time when they both happen to be the same age a fleeting moment and and one they will cherish . but again and the relationship between couple and audience be one side and because while we can see why daisy would wish to return to the rock steady loyalty of benjamin and it unclear what he feel about her other than a regard ( she certainly lovely enough ) . we be tell in rather soggy voice over narration ( spread throughout the film ) that daisy be the most beautiful person i would ever see and but that all we will get . and so it go and for nearly three hour . we cut frequently and and irritatingly and back to a modern day hospital in new orleans and where a die daisy ask her daughter ( julia ormond ) to read to her from benjamin diary a hurricane katrina pound on the window . there something be say in these scene about regret and the passage of time and but the appeal ormond character be one note and and blanchett seem nearly suffocate under pound of old age makeup . it from this diary whence spring benjamin narration and but and a mr. roth point out and gump this ain not . suffice it to say that the budget be up there on screen a we go on this strange trip through the twentieth century with brad pitt a our guide . a possibly unintentional ( i doubt it ) laugh arises mid film when benjamin finally reach something around pitt own age . he stride into a garage in the mid 50 and deck out in leather jacket and shade and and whip a tarp off a motorcycle and on which he speed out to the harbor to do some bare chested sail on a boat he build himself ( the shade remain on his head ) . it a know wink to the wish fulfillment of the casting who wouldn not want their old crotchety husband to get young and young until they look like brad pitt . and a clever way to underscore the underlying tragedy of the situation . sure and he look like brad pitt in fight club and se7en and thelma and louise and but eventually he go to look like brad pitt in cut class and and then brad pitt in seventh grade and and finally brad pitt a a toddler and and that not so sexy . pitt do a fine job . it a pity that fincher and who have use him to such great effect twice before and do not let him cut loose . instead this be his most low key performance since meet joe black and in which he play death and who be really just a nice young man curious about the world . come to think of it and that pretty much all that benjamin button be and and and if nothing else and he know more about death than just about anybody around . too bad that a film that mean to affirm life turn out to be rather lifeless .