A slight rebuttal

sarahschneider:

katespencer:

Everyone thought that it was kinda annoying and sappy and shitty that Benjamin Button was set during Hurricane Katrina, right? Like, the message of death and time and life was heavy-handed enough without tying in the worst natural disaster the US has recently seen?

Ugh, YES.  Finally saw this at my house last night (huzzah!) and I had a huge problem with this.  I didn’t like the diary context in general, and the Katrina angle really annoyed me.  The story was strong enough on its own to carry the movie.  Not to mention the reality of Katrina totally weighed down and contrasted with the fantasy of the story itself.  Other than that, I loved it as much as I thought I would.

At first after seeing the movie, which I did today, I felt a feeling I had never gotten after leaving the theater, especially after paying $8 for it, combined with the esctacy I feel when I can pretend to be a super-spy while sneaking candy contraband from the Amish Market next door.  Then I thought more about it.  I absolutely thought they did a spectacular job with the diary concept, a tired idea that somehow seemed new when David Fincher, Eric Roth, and Robin Swincord put it up to bat.  The transitions between Caroline, Daisy, and Benjamin telling the story went slowly and painlessly.
The story itself was, of course, genius, a timeless tale that truly made one think.  The comedic relief of the man struck by lightening 7 times was well placed and much needed.  In the film, only Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt are truly recognizable, in my opinion, and this was a wise casting choice.  My favorite parts were the scenes on the tugboat.  The movie was a bit dark, literally and figuratively, but the completion of it in a way that in no way ruined the story.  I only thought about how long this was going on twice, which is great for a nearly three hour movie.
Now for the Katrina issue.  At first, it made me cringe.  I was afraid the hospital would be flooded and the mother would die or something.  Ugh.  But when you think about it, there was really nothing else they could put in that would end the story so well.  The clock being flooded over.  The mother dying as soon as the daughter left the room.  It showed time passing even while such a tragedy was breaking.  Katrina would have been brought up even if the story had used a nameless hurricane.  I can imagine the writers had a very tough time with this, but I think they made the right decision.  All in all, this movie was a work of art, and most definitely deserves an Oscar nod.  Also, the poster is kick-ass.

Jan 09. 12 Notes.

Notes

  1. multicoloredpenguinsandsocks reblogged this from sarahschneider and added:
    At first after seeing the movie, which I did today, I felt a feeling I had never gotten after leaving the theater,...
  2. nickawesome reblogged this from sarahschneider and added:
    Agreed times a hundred. I streamed Benji Button on my computer last night and was quite irked at the whole, Hurricane...
  3. brianglidewell reblogged this from katespencer and added:
    I honestly had no idea why...Katrina. Also, this...most...
  4. joshmohrer reblogged this from sarahschneider and added:
    Dani, Petra and I just saw this movie in my house (huzzah!) and totally agree.
  5. annamarie reblogged this from sarahschneider and added:
    I said this exact same thing to Sam and Vinnie after seeing it!! Did anyone care about the diary or Daisy’s daughter?...
  6. sarahschneider reblogged this from katespencer and added:
    Ugh, YES. Finally saw this at my house last night (huzzah!)...I had a huge problem with...
  7. katespencer posted this