Daily Plastic: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Movie	Our Take	Other Takes
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Trailer . IMDB	But after hours of empty special effects and golden-hued sets, this philosophical conundrum amounts to a tiny non sequitur, a clever couplet at the end of a mind-numbing soliloquy. Robert Davis Paste Magazine	Director David Fincher tells this imaginative story with uncharacteristic warmth (unless you thought Zodiac and Fight Club were warm), but with his usual sure sense of control and technical skill. Gary Thompson Philadelphia Daily News Realized through old-fashioned camera mastery and newfangled special effects, it’s a stunning technical accomplishment, but one seemingly designed only to broadcast banal sentiments, when it says anything at all. Keith Phipps Onion AV Club There's that word again Above all, though, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a triumph of technique. A.O. Scott New York Times and again in a different form Fincher, Roth, Pitt and Blanchett have all, in their way, made a film of true sincerity and (ironically enough in light of its technical achievements) real simplicity; resting your gaze on the film, without directing it onto the things it encourages you to look at, seems like staring at the pointing finger. James Rocchi Cinematical One more time! Visually, the film, from director David Fincher, is flawless. The story begins in 1918 and extends into present day, and, at every point, the art direction and clothing meticulously re-create the respective eras. The digital cinematography subtly evokes earlier photography. The stars are major and Oscar ready. In every way, the movie looks like somebody's idea of a great movie, just as its length - 167 minutes - proclaims its importance. But the proclamation is untrue, and all the trappings are in the service of a story that's emotionally false and fundamentally unimportant. Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle evoking the word without using it The whole effort is weighed down with a self-important lugubriousness that the incredibly slight material in no way earns. Michael Sicinski The Academic Hack What? Nothing about technique?

Director David Fincher tells this imaginative story with uncharacteristic warmth (unless you thought Zodiac and Fight Club were warm), but with his usual sure sense of control and technical skill.

Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

Realized through old-fashioned camera mastery and newfangled special effects, it’s a stunning technical accomplishment, but one seemingly designed only to broadcast banal sentiments, when it says anything at all.

Keith Phipps
Onion AV Club

There's
that
word
again

Above all, though, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a triumph of technique.

A.O. Scott
New York Times

and
again
in a
different
form

Fincher, Roth, Pitt and Blanchett have all, in their way, made a film of true sincerity and (ironically enough in light of its technical achievements) real simplicity; resting your gaze on the film, without directing it onto the things it encourages you to look at, seems like staring at the pointing finger.

James Rocchi
Cinematical

One
more
time!

Visually, the film, from director David Fincher, is flawless. The story begins in 1918 and extends into present day, and, at every point, the art direction and clothing meticulously re-create the respective eras. The digital cinematography subtly evokes earlier photography. The stars are major and Oscar ready. In every way, the movie looks like somebody's idea of a great movie, just as its length - 167 minutes - proclaims its importance. But the proclamation is untrue, and all the trappings are in the service of a story that's emotionally false and fundamentally unimportant.

Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

evoking
the
word
without
using it

The whole effort is weighed down with a self-important lugubriousness that the incredibly slight material in no way earns.

Michael Sicinski
The Academic Hack

What?
Nothing
about
technique?