Critic Reviews

Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (2008) Rank 2 Reviews

Expert Review Summary

Movie critics combined give Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (2008) a score of 3.0538 out of 4

based on (130) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

(51)

Very Good

(54)

Good

(23)

Fair

(2)

Poor

(0)

Reviews by Score:

Las Vegas Review-Journal (Carol Cling)

Until then, Benjamin's adventures take him around New Orleans -- and around the world -- in the company of such colorful companions as a pygmy-about-town (Rampai Mohadi), a salty tugboat skipper (Jared Harris) and a British diplomat's wife (Tilda Swinton, ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Las Vegas Review-Journal (Carol Cling)

Los Angeles Times

When Benjamin and Daisy, who's been in New York studying dance with George Balanchine (don't ask), finally hit those years when they can play their real ages, it's a relief to see, but not enough of a relief to save this film. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Los Angeles Times

ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)

Visually arresting but woefully short on substance David Fincher's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgearld's short story about a man who ages backward is like a parlor game that wears out its welcome. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)

The Cinema Source (Michael M. Dance)

We open on an old lady in a hospital in New Orleans. There are hurricane warnings, and we assume -- although it's not confirmed until the final words of the movie -- that it's taking place a few hours before Hurricane Katrina hit. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at The Cinema Source (Michael M. Dance)

Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)

If this movie is somewhat reminiscent of "Forrest Gump," that's because it was also scripted by Eric Roth, who once again gets to indulge his dubious talent for simpleton mythmaking. Like Forrest, Benjamin is a holy fool to whom everything happens. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)

Washington Post

Rather, as Benjamin moves through early 20th-century America, World War II and modernism, what Pitt delivers is an appearance, albeit one that involves astonishing physical transformations. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Washington Post

Illinois Times (Charles Koplinski)

Having knocked around Hollywood for more than a decade and once garnering the attention of Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button finally arrives on the big screen, courtesy of director David Fincher. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Illinois Times (Charles Koplinski)

Time Out

For a melodrama concerned with emotional pain, this fairy tale favors formal trickery over human connection to a fault. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Time Out

Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)

The curious thing about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is why everybode seems to love this movie and it's getting all these Golden Globe nominations and it's probably gunna get some Oscar nominations as well. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)

The Star Ledger

It's like a box of chocolates, but with hollow centers. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at The Star Ledger

The Onion A.V. Club

At times, particularly in the film's unavoidably heart-tugging final hour, Fincher's visual mastery and Pitt's charisma almost compensate for a gimmick in search of a meaning. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at The Onion A.V. Club

eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)

David Fincher is a filmmaker who always gravitated towards the darkest sides of people, but ones still searching for some sign of redemption. The serial killer of Seven who punished whom he believed to be soulless vessels. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)

Screen International

A wildly ambitious fantasy which contains many intriguing elements and superb production values but ultimately fails to cohere as the epic tragedy it wants to be. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Screen International

Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)

This fantasy drama only works if you can be overwhelmed with blandness, superficiality and tears, and don't mind that this is no longer Fitzgerald but the plodding mawkish story of Roth. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)

Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)

It's the kind of movie where bigness is its own excuse, and the whole thing seems to have been gotten through as an exercise, rather than a work of art. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)

Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" may be the most curious film of the year. It's a film that clearly has a lot of thought and effort behind it, and yet it doesn't quite work. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Worcester Telegram & Gazette (Daniel M. Kimmel)

Paste Magazine

Because of a crazy clock built to run backward, Benjamin Button was born with a strange malady. This is not the sort of thing we question in a film like this. We simply accept it and move on. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Paste Magazine

Austin Chronicle (Kimberly Jones)

It's quite a feat, really, to have stretched F. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Austin Chronicle (Kimberly Jones)

BDK Reviews (Kevin McCarthy)

This flick has one of the best plotlines I could ever think of. I'll never forget the first time I read George Carlin's dialogue about living in reverse. We are born in diapers and we end up diapers. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at BDK Reviews (Kevin McCarthy)

Outtakes With Fiore (Fiore Mastracci)

The only reason to see THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is so your lady can ogle Brad Pitt. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Outtakes With Fiore (Fiore Mastracci)

Creative Loafing

As for the movie's themes, they're basically a series of homilies about the beauty of life and how we shouldn't waste a single precious moment of it. Point taken: I won't spend another second reflecting on this motionless motion picture. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at Creative Loafing

MovieTime, ABC Radio National (Jason Di Rosso)

Ironically for a story in which life's best moments pass too quickly, David Fincher's new 159 minute film drags. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at MovieTime, ABC Radio National (Jason Di Rosso)

NewsBlaze (Prairie Miller)

Clocking in at a punishing 167 minutes and no, not in reverse time, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is a wearing ordeal, at the conclusion of which you're likely to feel a whole lot older than 167 minutes, and really drained. Pass the Dexedrine. ...read the complete Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie review at NewsBlaze (Prairie Miller)

from $6.99