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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (The Criterion Collection) (2008)

Brad Pitt , Cate Blanchett , David Fincher  |  PG-13 |  DVD
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (416 customer reviews)

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Product Details

  • Actors: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Tilda Swinton, Tom Everett
  • Directors: David Fincher
  • Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
  • Dubbed: French, Spanish
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Studio: Criterion
  • DVD Release Date: May 5, 2009
  • Run Time: 166 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (416 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B001U0HBPQ
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,411 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (The Criterion Collection)" on IMDb

Special Features

None.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The technical dazzle of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a truly astonishing thing to behold: this story of a man who ages backwards requires Brad Pitt to begin life as a tiny elderly man, then blossom into middle age, and finally, wisely, become young. How director David Fincher--with makeup artists, special-effects wizards, and body doubles--achieves this is one of the main sources of fascination in the early reels of the movie. The premise is loosely borrowed from an F. Scott Fitzgerald story (and bears an even stronger resemblance to Andrew Sean Greer's novel The Confessions of Max Tivoli), with young/old Benjamin growing up in New Orleans, meeting the girl of his dreams (Cate Blanchett), and sharing a few blissful years with her until their different aging agendas send them in opposite directions. The love story takes over the second half of the picture, as Eric Roth's script begins to resemble his work on Forrest Gump. This is too bad, because Benjamin's early life is a wonderfully picaresque journey, especially a set of midnight liaisons with a Russian lady (Tilda Swinton) in an atmospheric hotel. Fincher observes all this with an entomologist's eye, cool and exacting, which keeps the material from getting all gooey. Still, the Hurricane Katrina framing story feels put-on, and the movie lets Benjamin slide offscreen during its later stages--curious indeed.--Robert Horton

Also on the disc
Criterion offers a two-disc presentation of the 2008 Oscar-winner, stamped as "Director Approved." Hard to miss that, since David Fincher is all over the extras on this one: he provides a talkative commentary track for the 165-minute film, which leaves little doubt about his fabled involvement in every aspect of the results you see on screen, and he figures in the documentary sections contained on the second disc. Fincher is such an assured, skillful talker that he easily justifies the otherwise standard-issue collection of behind-the-scenes material. The documentary sections can be played as one epic (three hour) making-of feature, which actually lasts longer than the film itself; they are also carved up and can be played in handy parts: the origins of the project (tons of people considered making it, including Frank Oz, Ron Howard, and Spike Jonze), the flabbergasting technical trickery involved, shooting in post-Katrina New Orleans, and anything else you can think of. Especially illuminating is the step-by-step stuff about how Brad Pitt's face was motion-captured for the purposes of morphing it onto the work of body doubles--in case you're still puzzled about how all that really worked. The usual production stills and an essay by Kent Jones fill out the package. --Robert Horton






Stills from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Click for larger image)











Product Description

'I was born under unusual circumstances.' And so begins The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans, from the end of World War I in 1918 into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be. Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond, Benjamin Button, is a grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time.

Customer Reviews

This movie has a very interesting story with great acting. *JustAComment  |  50 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
225 of 260 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A gorgeous, but depressing drama. Mild Spoilers March 19, 2009
Format:DVD
The Curious Case of Benjamim Button is by no means a feel-good movie. In fact upon watching it, I felt depressed even the next day just thinking about it. People may confuse this for a love story but to me the film clearly symbolizes death. The love aspect is certainly present, though it is not the center of attention here.

Brad Pitt stars as Benjamin Button, a man who essentially ages backwards. When he is born, his own father attempts to drown him before a sudden change of heart has him leaving the swaddled and very whithered newborn upon the steps of an elderly home. There he is found by Queenie, played to motherly perfection by Taraji P. Henson. She sees past the deformity and oddity and loves him immediately.

Instead of dying, as a doctor predicted, Benjamin actually begins to age backwards. He appears as a very old man and slowly grows younger, but only in body. His mind seems to function as a typical human's mind. He learns, and dreams and experiences. This basically sets up the magnificent story and from then on, you are taken from country to country, from one decade, to another and it is just superb to witness.

The acting is fantastic all around. Brad Pitt does an outstanding job, portraying both the old Benjamin as well as his younger counterpart. Cate Blanchett as his childhood friend/love interest is also a joy to watch. She can do no wrong, she is simply stunning. For such a short part, Tilda Swinton surely makes the most of it. Her tale and part with Benjamin in Russia is just stunning. There is also the talented Julia Ormond, who has a bigger part to play in the tale than we may realise at first.

The most impressive aspect of the film is the flawless visual effects. Just flawless. You have never seen aging/deaging done like this. There is a scene, towards the end, with Benjamin and Daisy (Blanchett) that had my jaw dropping. It was like looking back in time. I can't describe how utterly impressed I was. The cinematography, the sad musical score, the costumes, just every little minute detail is just so impressive and authentic.

I have heard grumbles from people who compare it to Forrest Gump. What? How? There should not be any comparing the two films-or the two characters. Gump was a slow and mostly ignorant person who fell into unbelievable situations. Button clearly chooses his own paths, though it may not seem it, at the beginning. It irritates me how someone can make such a comparison.

This is a long film, nearly three hours, though with the plot and subject matter, it makes sense and really, it is such a beautiful film, you hardly notice the passing of time. Like I mentioned, it will leave you feeling blue but that does not diminish from the fact this is one of the better newer films out there now, and one that people will remember in the future.
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43 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has such a high concept that some people were thrown off. Even major critics like Roger Ebert bashed the film as a whole based only upon his thought that the concept made it a film that no one could ever relate to. I wholeheartedly disagree, and am a little disappointed that after so many years of reading Ebert's reviews, that he's limiting his scope by writing off concepts that, to him, just can't work, especially when this film makes its concept work so brilliantly. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a brooding, sweepingly epic tale about--no surprises here--Benjamin Button, who was born as an old man and will age backwards until he is once again an infant. While this is certainly never the case in life, the unusualness of it even more poignant, because it still does, in a way, mirror real life. When Benjamin Button becomes a boy after years of "growing down," he will begin to lose his memories the same way an elderly man with Alzheimer's would. Truthfully, it is a high concept that perhaps would have been one of those "huge idea, not so much story" films in different hands, but screenwriter Eric Roth and director David Fincher made a film that transcends even this looming premise.

The movie has a sort of Burtonesque whimsy, though it is textured in a way that none of his films are. The film is almost three hours long, and it's such a busy three hours that it feels more like four. There is a framing story, in which a dying woman and her daughter read the diary of Benjamin. These may be considered the weakest parts of the story, but it also comes together nicely in the end. All of the various characters that Benjamin meets along the way are so interesting and so well thought out. There's a man who gets struck by lightning seven times (we see six of these through hilarious flashbacks), a woman who wants to break a swimming record but is limited by her age, a drunken captain who opens up his world to carnal pleasures, and a whole lot of other characters who you will fall in love with over the course of the film. Many people die, because death--one way (old age) or the other (youth)--is sort of the whole point behind this film. People come into your life and one way or another, they leave. And they leave an imprint. The film is such a weird way to tackle the premise but it's so deliciously inventive and brilliantly made that its weirdness plays a central role in its overall greatness.

One of the better movies of 2008, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a universally enjoyable film that I suspect it will be even better to watch on DVD when one can take a bit of a break between scenes. The length, and the war scene, will definitely lose some viewers for a while, but everything that comes before and everything that follows is so fantastic that you'll definitely catch back up with it.

8/10
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44 of 55 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Adaptation of Fitzgerald's Short Story March 24, 2009
Format:DVD
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is a wonderfully staged fantasy based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's fantasy about a boy born old and aging younger instead of older. The story could obviously be off-putting and distracting, but everyone involved does such a magnificent job of telling this story that it is not hard to accept this as fact, and following the story as it shows Benjamin growing younger and falling in love with a young girl named Daisy.

Benjamin and Daisy's story and the balance of Benjamin's life impart so many valuable life lessons that it is hard to recount them all - the idea that life brings many hardships and the best we can do is doing the best we can with what we're given, making the most of every moment because life is fleeting and unpredictable, find the joy and happinessin life and hold on to it dearly, and many other lessons.

"Benjamin Button" gives Brad Pitt the chance to shine in the title role, and he makes the most of it. He is ably assisted by Cate Blanchett as Daisy, Taraji P. Henson as Benjamin's adoptive mother, Tilda Swinton as another love of Benjamin's, and many others. This film is marvelous and a hopeful fable for all of us.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
The best movie we've seen in years! It's almost 3 hours long, but we enjoyed every minute of it watching in bed. Might've been too long for the theater.
Published 5 days ago by Mushka
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely movie
I had to watch this movie for my developmental psychology. I must say that for me as a student I was really impressed how all the stages of development where clearly stated in this... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Liz
4.0 out of 5 stars A good movie, but so long
This is a great movie. It's very interesting. But the length is daunting. It's hard to sit through. It's just so very long.
Published 13 days ago by Faye Hollidaye
3.0 out of 5 stars Really interesting story, but made in a way that just seemed rather...
This in my estimate is a 3 1/2 star movie, so if I could give it that here I would have. It's a pretty good movie but not a classic or even a great film. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Natja Kristy
5.0 out of 5 stars benjamin button
Its a very good movie..i was afraid that i wouldnt be able to watch the nearly 3 hr movie but it definately gripped me and made me watch it all. Read more
Published 23 days ago by blink543
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing movie
I loved this movie for many reasons. I saw it in the theater in New Orleans when it came out. It brought most of the viewing audience tears. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Gozerthegozarian
5.0 out of 5 stars great movie!
I loved it. My sister kept insisting and insisting for me to watch it and when I finally did I was so glad she kept insisting. Read more
Published 1 month ago by kool kid
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Movie!
Love this movie! And I especially loved all the behind the scenes stuff. It was amazing to see how this movie was accomplished.
Published 1 month ago by Kathy W Ramirez
5.0 out of 5 stars awesome
I love this story it is well written, and played out on the movie, a great syfy and drama as well
Published 1 month ago by Jeffrey
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, definitely a must see at least one
Not a movie I would watch again and again...
I'm glad I saw it; it's definitely worth seeing.
Breathtaking, well done.
Just not a personal favorite.
Published 1 month ago by Victoria Sangermano
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Criterion Slipcover
I just took a wild stab in the dark and ordered. When it arrives, I'll let you know if the slipcover and insert are still included on the package. But even if they weren't, at 4.96 (Black Friday week price) I'm not complaining, though.
Nov 22, 2012 by Arturo Lugo Gonzalez |  See all 9 posts
How can this be more expansive than Blu-ray?
I don't know the exact reason, but I'll take an educated guess. I think it's because there is only one version of the Blu-ray, and 2 versions of the DVD. There is a DVD release with just the movie, for a cheaper price, and then there is the more expensive 2-disc DVD. The 2-disc Blu-ray, which... Read more
Aug 5, 2010 by DeAd MiKe |  See all 2 posts
Does this Criterion Collection blu-ray include the digital copy?
no
but get the warner version from the uk. it includes digital copy as a download. you can get one download for your pc and one for your portable device. the download coupon is on the flipside of the "important notice" flyer.

the warner edition has better value than criterion's.
Feb 22, 2010 by Campbell Brown |  See all 2 posts
Portugues, audio or subtitles ? help
sorry.. english, french and spanish only.
May 21, 2009 by Itchy Scrote |  See all 4 posts
Best Buy has Buttons, Slumdog, and The Wrestler on blu for $14.99...will...
They already did.
Jul 28, 2009 by D. Choina |  See all 3 posts
Benjamin Button Blu-ray
The sticker pulls off easily. I bought the Bluray, and did the same thing you're talking about. It didn't damage the sleeve at all.
Jul 13, 2009 by S. Bratton |  See all 4 posts
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