| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Single-Disc Edition) | 
| Director: David Fincher
Actors: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond, Faune A. Chambers
Studio: Paramount
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.99
Buy Used: $1.65
as of 9/4/2010 10:08 CDT details
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New (53) Used (151) Collectible (1) from $1.65
Seller: chocolatebo
Rating:  266 reviews
Sales Rank: 1,495
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Running Time: 166 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: PARD333724D
UPC: 097363337249
EAN: 0097363337249
ASIN: B001U0HBPG
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: May 5, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 5-MAY-2009
Media Type: DVD
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
Stills from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Click for larger image)
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 266
 love it September 3, 2010
Joan Mendel (Phoenix AZ.)
I enjoyed my purchase, it was easy great product and arrived early. The seller discribed it well in the write up so I knew exactly what I was geting and was happy on the transaction.
HAUNTINTLY UNFORGETABLE September 2, 2010
Kym McNabney (Illinois)
For me, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button stirred up an assortment of emotions. Where in the world did the writers get such an idea? What came to mind immediately when I realized what was going on was PROGERIA, a rare progressive genetic disorder that causes children to age rapidly? I'd watched a few documentaries on it over the past few years, and what happened to Benjamin Button seemed to be the reverse. That could have been a contributing factor to the unsettling emotions it elicited.
As bizarre as the situation was, the story held your attention from beginning to end. The acting was outstanding. The emotions that surfaced were bountiful. It really made you stop and think...about life, people, love, those that are different then us.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a story that will remain with me for a very long time.
 This movie sucks September 2, 2010
W. Fisher
TCCoBB is a terrible film. It's tedious and overlong. The love story is ineffective. Cate Blanchett (bless her heart), as an old woman, gives an uncommonly bad performance that borders on parody. The aging backwards thing is a gimmick which adds nothing to the film. The dialogue and screenplay are the films biggest faults. The screenplay does not have an original idea in its silly head (but plenty of cliches). The dialogue is hammy and unnatural sounding; the film's attempts to be profound fail miserably. The exploration of death is unoriginal; this territory was infinitely better explored in Six Feet Under. What can I praise about this film? Swinton is superb as usual and the only interesting character. Pitt gives a good and convincing performance, even though his character is very bland. The film looks very pretty and the special effects are excellent. None of these things come close to compensating for the films weaknesses though.
Edit: I did not find this film depressing at all since I felt no emotional involvement in what was going on. The screenplay was written by Eric Roth who also wrote Forrest Gump, another monumentally overpraised movie (which is condescending and intelligence insulting as well).
Down with Hollywood Formulas August 15, 2010
sprint (USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this movie b/c I was hoping it would be a unique and meaningful spin on the short story upon which it is based. It didn't really work b/c you could almost hear the Hollywood execs in the background asking for a hit that would be as successful as "Forrest Gump." All of the story & style elements were there, so you can see how it passed muster with the guys in the back room.
1. It is told in a narrative that is identical to the Forrest Gump approach and the main characters have a southern drawl
2. It has a "Mama" figure in it, that pretty much serves the same function as the Sally Field role. She raises her misfit son, loves him unconditionally, says "you never know what's comin' after you" (aka "box of chocolates, never know what you're going to get, etc.) and she dies.
3. There is time spent on the seas with a crusty "Lieut Dan" type of character
4. Benjamin writes his love interest all the time from everywhere like FG
5. Cate Blanchett character even says "I gotta go pee" like FG does
6. There is no reason why the Cate Blanchett character would be that drawn to BB as the love of her life-- not to mention the notion that she comes across as somebody who is not into guys anyway.
7. BB becomes independently wealthy just like FG
8. BB voice over tells us what valuable lessons he's learned along his way just like FG
BB is to FG what Lady Gaga is to Madonna.
Stop the formulas, Hollywood.
Or at least make them less obvious.
In the end, a rather annoying and depressing movie. Mostly annoying- unless you have not seen Forrest Gump.
A gem August 6, 2010
R. Ericsson (New York City)
In the vein of F. Scott Fitzgerald this is a study of life under unusual circumstances. Like in his other novels Fitzgerald has put people into extraordinary situations. The director and tech teams have delivered this unique story to the screen in spectacular fashion....without losing the humanity of the original story. After the first couple of scenes you stop trying to spot the special make-up and effects and just enjoy the waves of emotion evoked by the players. Highly recommended.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 266
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