The actors cannot be faulted either, although, after the overrated Babel, this is the second time Pitt and Blanchett have starred together in a movie with an ambitious premise but unrealized promise. Nonetheless, they are never less than credible acting in a variety of stages in life, particularly Pitt, who certainly makes a committed effort to deal with hours of makeup and imagining the visual effects that will complete the aging illusions. He and Blanchett certainly also share a nice, convincing romantic chemistry within their clearly odd predicaments and the fact that their characters finally do not truly resonate is not the actors’ blame but the screenplay’s. Also worth noting is Taraji P. Henson, who plays really the most vibrant and spunky character in the movie as Benjamin’s adoptive mother.
I know The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is already getting some awards consideration for its technical accomplishments and actors and that is probably just as well (even if the picture as a whole is far from deserving of a nomination). With this cast and production credits, of course they can make a scene work and occasionally glow. But, by the end, it is all superficial because there is no truly original inspiration or idea behind it all. What we are then left is just a predictable, conventional tale and that is the last description I would have wanted to use for a literally time-bending fantasy like this.
Bottom line: Close but no cigar.
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