Paulo Victor, Portugal

Could be in the running for most unrealistic naval warfare scenario of all time. Button joins crew of small, beat-up river tugboat which, somehow or other, for reasons not apparent to the audience, winds up in Murmansk, Russia just in time for World War II and then manages to sink a U-boat. And we're supposed to take this seriously!

If you're a sucker for insipid sentimentality, cardboard characters, witless dialog, and humorless, platitudinous narration, this might be just the movie for you.

Thanks to our advanced technology, most of the true talent have gone Independent–can't find those at your local Lowe's movie theater. Have to hunt them out, because Hollywood's throwing the big money at crap, instead of directing funds (at least to exposure and advertising) to much better made, more intriguing, well acted and directed much lower budget films.

I think it also goes to show how egocentrically american the academy must be; I'm sure they feel threatened by the superb quality of films that other countries are putting forth, and want to make sure that Americans continue to get dumber by telling them that crap is tastes delicious, so they spend money to buy it, eat it, and actually think that they enjoy it because someone else told them it's good.

Ach well. The downward spiral progresses here, goes up elsewhere! The balance is shifting! Be ready, my friends! It won't be long before fire rains down from the skies, satan is in control of the USA's mass media.

That was 2 hours and 45 minutes of my life that I wish I had back. If they had not been taking themselves so seriously, the cheese might not have stunk so bad.

There were a few good bits…but mostly, it draaaaaaagged on and on and on. Cliche I say!

The Gumpish narration could only be made worse by Pitt's Gumped out accent–sometimes Gump, sometimes Pitt….

Honestly–that was way too long for a horribly pointless movie. It's "messages" are empty words without the proper actions to illustrate them.

The Curiously Long Case of Benjamin Boring would've worked out better as a title.

If anyone lauds this movie in my presence, I will seriously smack them upside the head.
Seriously.

-John Christian Conigliaro (Philippines)

Have you seen any other movies recently you'd recommend? I have to see at least 2 more before the Academy Awards. (personal requirement)). I'm interested in Synechdoche New York and Revolutionary Road, but I hesitate. And you should too, cls. I think it's got a lot of those woman's issues…

Let me know!

mollye.

I like your interpretation of the storm and would add that she is rushing to tell the story as the water rushes in at her last moments-like button – she was faced with impending doom although momentary by comparison she knows the future and it is a disaster, a hurricane like buttons felt he was facing a disaster the worst storm ever, his life. I don't agree with this thinking though, why did he feel this impending doom all the time to the point of leaving the love of his life and daughter? So many people face illness, patrick swayze for instance and it doesn't cause people to leave their loved ones. Usually you cling to your loved ones more which is why I don't view this movie as a love story in any way or understand the character.

I love your newborn baby idea-where did the baby come from-it made me get teary eyed thinking about it. It does seem that when you are a child you almost and sometimes do grasp things from somewhere that you did not learn or experience yet -you do know. I guess that would explain a child prodigy-except they remember or retain everything…

I told my sister not to see the movie but I am glad she liked and I like her take on it. I wanted more and I am proud of thinking too much and dicing the whole thing up into either scientific, actual visual imagery and its meaning, interpreting symbolism and such and the only time I don't is when a film captivates in a way where I don't even think of anything and live in the moment. This movie left so many holes in it that I was not swept away but instead a scoffing skeptic…!

Lexi-the scientific part was a part of the reason why I did not like the movie.
The main reason iI didn't like it is this movie is NOT a love story, if it was what a sorry love story it would be. Like you stated, He leaves daisy to raise a child because he says he doesn't want her to have to raise the both of them???? He comes back 15 years letter just in time for her to raise the both of them….I don't get it, you don't get it, and actually she should of told him to get lost again. right?

As usual though, blanchett, a woman, self-LESS comes to his rescue. Do we, as women, really need more movies and shows to teach women to take care of men no matter what horrible thing they do?? Just another tired out worn old story Hollywood shoves down our throats, I have seen so many times before which is why I am looking for love stories that our respectful of women depicting mutual love and responsibility for each other and the children too. (bradd pitt should get that with his new family)

I didn't look at my watch and there were moments that touched me such as the adoptive mother. What a character she was!! She kind of stole the show in a way loving and caring for button. That fizzled though with the birth of her own child which didn't make any sense to me since she displayed the most powerful love in the story. If she was a main character maybe that would be the love story even though she had a real practical approach to love, right? Some of the special effects were fascinating, so I would give it that too.

Bottom line: I became bored when I couldn't understand or piece together things-holes in the story like the one you mentioned and numerous others. I don't enjoy entertainment that makes me angry either and I had moments of that too. and maybe they should of spent more on the story and less on awesome special effects…
hope all this ramble makes sense,
I am really glad you got so into the movie though, I wish I could have because its nice to get away…

I agree with how you agree. The reverse aging process had a lot of potential, but didn't quite hit the exclamation points it could have.

I was discussing the film with my sister last night and I mentioned the adolescent Button scene–one of the only, unfortunately–where he (young Pitt) is sitting with his head resting on piano, acne on his cheeks, disgruntled and reserved. The Child Protection Agency guy says that the child is experiencing some sort of "dementia." I find this age-correlation so neat! It's sort of gives a reason for why a young, precocious child doesn't know "who he/she is." In Benjamin's case, he remembers vaguely being someone else–an old man–but can't remember his earlier life, or Daisy, with any clarity. I love this idea– that the reason we ask questions like "who am I" when we're young is because we used to know who we were and, somehow, we have forgotten. It goes the same way for a baby who has just come from someplace else, somewhere we all wonder about–life before life. At least, that's what I think of when I am with a newborn baby. Where did you really come from? (that's sort of crazy)).

Anyway, my sister–a very smart movie interpreter, by the way–really enjoyed the movie and told me she would not have liked it had Button been born wise. She liked that he was an child trapped in an old man's body and that people treated him as an elderly man when he should have been treated as a toddler. Well, they're each "wiser" in their own way because of their newness to their bodies and the strange world still ahead of them.

Oh, I want to ask you! What did you think of the hospital scenes and the incoming Katrina storm? Strange huh. Makes sense because of the New Orleans setting but, what did the directors want out that detail? Sort of made me feel that rush of water from Titanic, when we see the phantom ship, and the deck, submerged, which used to be populated wth beautiful old lives.

Write me!

The beauty of Fitzgerald’s premise is that the old man is a learned old man and loses some of his wisdom as he ages (an interesting opposite to the way things really are for us) The catalyst in any story is how a character changes. Pitt doesn’t change enough to give the story the umph and gloss it could have had.

It is a neat movie, but definitely not near Forrest Gump’s success. And that’s fine, because we already have that film forever. We might ask…why was Gump so much more compelling and memorable? I appreciated both Benjamin Button and Forrest Gump as a young person (20's) and I’m sure age has nothing to do with not liking or liking either film (It’s strange but film proves to us life experience really doesn’t matter to understand and feel empathy in a story! We surprisingly relate to things easily.))

I wonder how the filmmaker’s and actors feel about the final product? I always wonder that. Anyway film in general is amazing and the creative people who made Button should, and probably do, feel pretty cool.

I am a new father and saw a good friend draw his last breath as he lost his battle against AIDS. Perhaps this facilitated this movie to move me as I did catch myself thinking of my little boy and loved ones that I have lost. I even thought – selfishly – about my own death and time remaining on this earth. I even lost a tear or two.

I don't know if this movie will win any awards and don't care. I am not a die hard fan of Brad Pitt or Hollywood personalities in general. I'm just glad I saw it.

p.s. It reminded me of another good movie I saw: 1900.

Benji button was watching a man's life go backwards while my life hurtled painfully forwards.
I am now 2.5 hours older and none the wiser. Which is one character trait i seem to share with
the majority of the characters in the movie.

Frost/Nixon was showing in the cinema next store. I wish i had a clock that wound backwards too…

First, the movie IS long, but it is engaging and you truly do not know what to expect. I didn't want the movie to end and am thinking about seeing it again to catch more of the nuances.

Yes, the scenes with the old man and the young girl were a little creepy but that sets up the whole love story.

And yes, you do wonder why Benjamin feels compelled to leave and then at the end he comes back anyway. But that is life. We do things that don't make sense and then we "come back." Life is not perfect.

Anyway, I LOVED the movie. I just saw it yesterday and thought how it reminded me of movies in the old Hollywood tradition. The cinematography, score and costumes (at least Tilda Swinton's) were all lush and the acting was exquisite.

This movie will sweep the Oscar nominations and I hope it wins tons of awards!

Also since when does a health condition prevent a man from being a good husband and father?? Is this promoting abandanment of your family when things are tough? Ride around the world on a bike instead even though he would of had plenty of good years to raise his daughter to adulthood. He leaves because he doesn't want her to have to take care of the two of them so what happens-when it gets the toughest he moves back by her and she takes care of him anyway. How heartless! After his fun around the world he drops on her doorstep when he is a teen for her to care for him until infancy. How selfish. Brad Pitt can do any movie hes wants- why promote new orleans/katrina (pitts passion) at the expense of family what all of us presume by his adoptions is a passion also. The fact he did makes him heartless and phony just like the character benjamin button.

Typical selfish male movie. Women get old and wrinkly and men need to bail. women must suffer their decisions. oh joy!

This is the worst piece of crap I've every sat thru, not to mention 3 gruling hours of torture. I wanted to be struck by lightening, at least 7 times to be put out of my misery.
Sorry Brad you suck.

From Brad: Paul, you realize you added nothing to the conversation and only managed to insult me don't you?