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"THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON" (2008) (Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Heavy Heavy Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Minor None Mild None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Extreme Heavy Heavy Heavy QUICK TAKE: Drama: Born the size of an infant but with all the physical attributes of an elderly person, a man leads an adventurous life and meets interesting people as he gets older in a body that progressively gets younger. PLOT: As elderly Daisy (CATE BLANCHETTE) lies on her death bed in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approaches, her adult daughter, Caroline (JULIA ORMOND), goes through her belongings, including old photos and the diary from a man named Benjamin Button. Mustering her last bits of energy, Daisy tells his tale, all of which starts with a clockmaker, Monsieur Gateau (ELIAS KOTEAS), who's so despondent over the death of his son and other boys in WWI, that he built a prominent clock in the train station that runs backwards, all in the desperate hope that it might somehow turn back time and bring his boy back alive. Instead, it apparently causes the son of button magnate Thomas Button (JASON FLEMYNG) to be born in the infant-sized body of an old man. Between that and his wife's death from childbirth, Thomas ends up abandoning the boy at a local nursing home run by Queenie (TARAJI P. HENSON) and her husband, Tizzy (MAHERSHALHASHBAZ ALI). They assume the child won't survive, but he does, and Benjamin (BRAD PITT) grows up as a miniature old man whose body slowly but surely gets stronger and younger as the years pass. Despite his appearance, he ends up befriended by visiting pygmy Ngunda Oti (RAMPAI MOHADI) as well as young Daisy (ELLE FANNING), the visiting granddaughter of one of the nursing home residents. They become close friends, but end up repeatedly being separated only to reunite years later, as they do again when Daisy (CATE BLANCHETTE) has become a successful ballet dancer. But she's not the only woman in his life, for he meets and then carries on a hotel-based affair -- while working on a tugboat run by the colorful Captain Mike (JARED HARRIS) -- with Elizabeth Abbott (TILDA SWINTON), the wife of a visiting trade minister. Yet, his heart belongs to Daisy, a conundrum for him as he realizes that as she'll eventually age into an old woman, he'll grow old in a body that will reverse from its twenties back through the teens and then into childhood. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Fans of the director and/or anyone in the cast might be interested, but it's unlikely many pre-teens will be. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: BRAD PITT plays a character afflicted with a condition where he's born in an old man's (infant-sized) body that then grows younger in appearance as he gets older. He briefly uses strong profanity (as an old man in a child's body), has sex with a hooker (as a young man in an old body), drinks in various scenes, including to the point of intoxication, has an affair with Elizabeth and a sexual relationship with Daisy (with other casual sex suggested), and ends up living an unusual and certainly notable life. CATE BLANCHETTE plays a woman who knows Benjamin for most of her life, and ends up in a sexual relationship with him at one point, leading to them having a daughter. Throughout the years, her life changes as well, including her being a professional ballet dancer. She briefly smokes. TARAJI P. HENSON plays a woman who works at a nursing home and ends up unintentionally raising young Benjamin when he's left at her doorstep. JULIA ORMOND plays Daisy's adult daughter who's beside her during her last moments, going through old letters and mementos, and discovering a thing or two about her mom's past. She briefly smokes. JASON FLEMYNG plays Benjamin's father who's so shocked by his newborn's appearance, as well as his wife's death from childbirth, that he abandons his baby on Queenie's doorstep, not knowing her. He runs a button making business and reenters his son's life, but doesn't inform him of their relationship until much later. TILDA SWINTON plays a married woman who ends up having a hotel-based affair with Benjamin. She smokes, drinks some, and repeatedly tries to swim the English Channel. ELLE FANNING plays Daisy as a young girl who befriends Benjamin despite his appearance. JARED HARRIS plays the tattooed captain of a tugboat who gives Benjamin his first job. He drinks, carries around an unlit cigar, and visits hookers. MAHERSHALHASHBAZ ALIE plays Queenie's husband who also works at the nursing home and isn't so sure of her taking in the unusual looking newborn. RAMPAI MOHADI plays a visiting pygmy who befriends young Benjamin and takes him out on the town. He uses some profanity, visits what's presumably a hooker, and briefly smokes. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this drama that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. There are various sexual encounters (under the covers, off-screen and some introductory fooling around before the unseen acts), including that involving an affair as well as visits to prostitutes, while partial nudity (bare butts of both sexes, mostly from a distance) is also present. Violence consists of a brief but deadly WWII battle at sea, other brief war footage (shown in reverse), a running gag of a man being struck by lightning many times, and a woman is hit by a taxi (she lives, but is badly injured). Some of that (and other scenes) have bloody results, and those and other moments might be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers. Characters drink in various scenes, including to the point of intoxication (and being sick), while many smoke. Bad attitudes are present, as is tense family material (mostly of familial deaths). If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some flicker from film footage made to look like it's old. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some of that from fireworks explosions during a celebration, as well as from lightning in several scenes. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Miscellaneous people drink while celebrating the end of World War I. Oti takes young Benjamin out on the town and holds a flask while Benjamin appears to have a soda. Captain Mike holds a bottle of beer or liquor. Miscellaneous people drink in a brothel. Thomas and young Benjamin have drinks in a bar (where others drink), and it's apparently Benjamin's first time as he coughs out his first sip. However, we then see them drinking more whiskey, and then young Benjamin stumbling home intoxicated (where he vomits inside). Captain Mike states he was drunk last night, and Benjamin reminds him that he (Captain Mike) is drunk every night. Captain Mike holds a flask, and Benjamin comments that the skipper drinks a lot. Captain Mike and others drink in a bar. Benjamin and Elizabeth have vodka. Benjamin and Elizabeth have champagne. Benjamin and Daisy have drinks in a restaurant where others drink beer and drinks. Thomas and Benjamin have drinks in a restaurant where others also drink. Miscellaneous people drink backstage after a performance, and then at a party after that. Miscellaneous people carry drinks while taking cover from a thunderstorm. We see Benjamin and Daisy with wine. Benjamin opens a bottle of champagne. BLOOD/GORE We see some imagined war footage from World War I where the scene is played in reverse, and thus wounded or dead soldiers suddenly pop up off the ground and back up to life (along with what look like bursts of blood going back into their bodies). Thomas is brought into a bedroom where his wife is dying and bloody (on her bedclothes) after having just given birth to their son. An old man farts. A person on Captain Mike's tugboat throws something from a bucket overboard, with some of the thick and chunky liquid hitting the side of the boat (it's not clear what it is). Young Benjamin vomits from drinking too much liquor. Captain Mike and his crew come across various dead bodies floating in the water at night after a submarine attack, and when a hook is used to try to grab one of the bodies, there appears to be some blood that mixes into the water (seen from below). Captain Mike's chest and hands are bloody after he's hit with machine gun fire (and we see several holes in his chest oozing some blood), while Benjamin has some blood on his face. We see various bloody scrapes on Daisy's face after she is struck by a taxi. While pregnant, Daisy states that she has to go off and pee. We hear the sound of pregnant Daisy falling, and then see her at the bottom of some steps, with some blood on and around her (but she ends up delivering her baby just fine). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Thomas is brought into a bedroom where his wife is dying and bloody after having just given birth to their son. Horrified by Benjamin's appearance (where he looks like an old man in an infant's body), Thomas grabs the baby and rushes out. He heads toward a canal at night and appears as if he might be thinking about throwing the baby in, but a police officer yells out to him, and Thomas then flees from that man. When he ducks into an open door, he ends up leaving the infant on some steps for Queenie to find. Queenie lies about the just-discovered Benjamin by saying her sister had a child with a white man. Oti takes young Benjamin out on the town, but then leaves him to his own devices to get back home, as Oti meets and apparently goes off to have sex with a hooker. Daisy tells Benjamin that she saw her mom kissing another man in the past (it's a secret she shares with him). Elizabeth sets down the ground rules of her and Benjamin having an affair, and then they do so. We see them kiss and then go into a hotel room where the door closes. It's suggested that they met every night for this affair. While accepted at the time, Captain Mike uses the term "Japs" to refer to the Japanese who attacked Pearl Harbor. It's implied that older Daisy and teenage-looking (but old in age) Benjamin have sex (thus meaning Daisy cheated on her current husband). Benjamin leaves Daisy and their young daughter before the latter can remember him, knowing that as he ages younger, he will no longer be able to care for her, and doesn't want to leave Daisy having to raise two children. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Tizzy nearly steps backwards by accident onto infant Benjamin who's been left on some steps. Young but old-looking Benjamin falls at a church revival (where he is encouraged to stand up from his wheelchair and walk), but he's okay. Moments later, a preacher there then collapses from an apparent heart attack. In the present-day footage, we see that Hurricane Katrina is approaching New Orleans (as shown on the news via radar shots, etc.). Young Benjamin discovers one of the elderly residents dead in her chair, with her eyes open, and we then see her funeral scene. Captain Mike and his tugboat crew join the efforts in World War II, mainly as a salvage and recovery operation. They eventually come across the aftermath of a torpedo attack, and see a large burning ship in the distance, as well as various bodies floating by. In the distance, they then see an enemy submarine surface, and turn off all of their lights, racing toward it. Men atop the submarine shoot machine guns at the tugboat whose gunner returns machine gun fire at them. Various people are hit on both sides, with the tugboat then crashing into and running over the submarine, eventually causing it to sink. Various people on the tugboat die from this encounter. We hear the sound of pregnant Daisy falling, and then see her at the bottom of some steps, with some blood on and around her (but she ends up delivering her baby just fine). We see old but young-looking Benjamin up on a roof, and others worry about his safety. Spoiler alert: Old Daisy holds old Benjamin, now in the form of an infant, and he dies in her arms. As Hurricane Katrina approaches, we hear alarms going off in a hospital. GUNS/WEAPONS We see flashback footage of soldiers going off to World War I and carrying rifles. Young Benjamin plays with some toy soldiers that carry molded machine guns. Captain Mike and his tugboat crew join the efforts in World War II, mainly as a salvage and recovery operation. They eventually come across the aftermath of a torpedo attack, and see a large burning ship in the distance, as well as various bodies floating by. In the distance, they then see an enemy submarine surface, and turn off all of their lights, racing toward it. Men atop the submarine shoot machine guns at the tugboat whose gunner returns machine gun fire at them. Various people are hit on both sides, with the tugboat then crashing into and running over the submarine, eventually causing it to sink. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You're all f*cking liars," "Scared sh*tless," "You're as ugly as an old fart," "Are you out of your mind?" "Same old crap every day," "Where in God's name have you been?" "Get your ass aboard," "Sure as hell find out," "Little fat bastard," "Who the hell do you think you are?" "What the hell do you think you can do?" "Frickin,'" "Japs," "Kick the sh*te out of" and "Damn shame." Captain Mike has various tattoos. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A mild amount of suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 3 "s" words, 2 slang terms for male genitals ("pole" and another one we couldn't understand), 5 hells, 1 ass, 1 crap, 1 damn, 3 uses each of "G-damn" and "Sweet Jesus," 2 each of "Lord" and "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "By Jesus," "God in Heaven," "Good God," "My God" and "Oh Lord." SEX/NUDITY Queenie and Tizzy passionately kiss on a bed, while clothed, and start to lean back onto the bed, but the scene ends there. We later hear that Queenie is pregnant by Tizzy. We see full rear nudity of a senile old man as he tries to raise a flag on a flagpole while sans any clothing. We see young but old-looking Benjamin in a bathtub, and despite an overhead view, we don't see anything explicit. Oti takes young Benjamin out on the town, but then leaves him to his own devices to get back home, as Oti meets and apparently goes off to have sex with a hooker. We hear Benjamin's narration stating that he had hair growing in new places (looking at his armpits as he's getting younger), and adds "among other things" (as he looks down, presumably at his penis, that we do not see). Thinking young Benjamin is an old man (due to the way he looks), Captain Mike ask if he can still get it up (meaning an erection, and using several slang terms such as "pole" for that). He then asks when was the last time Benjamin had a woman, and when the latter responds never, Captain Mike is shocked. Captain Mike removes his shirt, revealing many tattoos, and then his pants (leaving him in his long johns) while waiting for a rendezvous with a hooker in a brothel. We then see several of those women standing on the stairwell with Captain Mike going off with one, and another then taking pity on young Benjamin, thinking he's an old man. We next see rapid and enthusiastic movement under a sheet, from young Benjamin having sex with that woman. She's worn out and asks, "What are you, Dick Tracy?" and adds that she needs a rest. We then hear Benjamin state via voiceover narration that it was a night to remember and that he learned the value of earning a living (meaning having money for sex with prostitutes). We see Captain Mike in just his long johns again. We see the shape of Daisy's nipples under her ballet outfit. Elizabeth asked Benjamin if he hasn't been with many women before, and he jokingly replies not on Sundays. Elizabeth briefly but passionately kisses Benjamin, but then stops. Elizabeth sets down the ground rules of her and Benjamin having an affair, and then they do so. We see them kiss and then go into a hotel room where the door closes. It's suggested that they met every night for this affair. Daisy shows some cleavage. When Benjamin is surprised by Daisy smoking, she states that she is old enough to do so, and that she's old enough to do a lot of things. She then says she can imagine dancing completely naked, and mentions something about D.H. Lawrence in a passage about making love. She then says that sex is just part of it, referring to dancing, and states that one woman in the past wanted to sleep with her. She's obviously coming on to Benjamin, and playfully puts her feet around his waist, kissing him. He's reluctant and states that he doesn't want to disappoint her, but she says that she has been with older men. Nevertheless, he declines her offer to return to her room to have sex. We see Benjamin in just his boxers. Benjamin surprises Daisy in New York City after her performance. We see her and another woman in just their bras backstage, as well as various shirtless men. We see Daisy's bare shoulder while she is in bed with her boyfriend who is asleep. We see a miscellaneous woman in her bra. As we see Benjamin leaving various women's homes, we hear his voice-over narration stating that he did enjoy the company of a woman or two, and then adds "or three." Daisy tells Benjamin, "Sleep with me" and he replies "Absolutely." We then see them starting to undress each other and kissing, with him partially getting on top of her on a bed, with sex implied but not seen. We see a distant view of Benjamin getting on top of Daisy on a sailboat deck, but no details can be observed. We then see them dive into the water, but the view is only in silhouette. We next see a very distant view of them on the beach, seemingly nude, with her climbing on top of him, and it appears we can see her bare butt. Daisy shows cleavage in bed, with Benjamin then passionately kissing her, and sex is implied. In a montage of Benjamin and Daisy in their new place, we see them cavorting on their mattress on the floor, as well as her getting up with just a sheet around her, allowing a brief view of the side of her bare butt. There are also views of passionate kissing, including while he's between her legs, and she grabs his clothed butt. We hear that Daisy is pregnant (by Benjamin). Daisy show some cleavage. We see shirtless Indian men bathing in a river. It's implied that older Daisy and teenage-looking (but old in age) Benjamin have sex, as we see a rear view of her in her panties and bra as she is getting dressed afterwards, while Benjamin lies in bed dressed (thus meaning Daisy cheated on her current husband). SMOKING Caroline, Elizabeth and Daisy each smoke at least once, while Captain Mike is occasionally seen with what appears to be an unlit cigar, while minor and miscellaneous characters smoke (mostly cigarettes, but some cigars) in many scenes. When Benjamin is surprised by Daisy smoking, she states that she is old enough to do so, and that she's old enough to do a lot of things. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We see elderly Daisy on her deathbed in a hospital, with her adult daughter Caroline by her side, obviously sad about her mother's imminent passing. We see a flashback of a husband and wife receiving a letter about their son's death in World War I, with a view then of closed caskets being delivered off a train, and then the husband and wife at their son's gravesite. Thomas is brought into a bedroom where his wife is dying and bloody after having just given birth to their son. Horrified by Benjamin's appearance (where he looks like an old man in an infant's body), Thomas grabs the baby and rushes out. He heads toward a canal at night and appears as if he might be thinking about throwing the baby in, but a police officer yells out to him, and Thomas then flees from that man. When he ducks into an open door, he ends up leaving the infant on some steps for Queenie to find. Daisy states that her baby brother didn't live long after birth in the past. Elizabeth briefly mentions her father dying. A man grieves over his twin brother's death in World War II. Queenie informs Benjamin that Tizzy died within the past year. Thomas finally tells Benjamin that he is his father, and the latter is shocked/upset by this revelation/discovery. We see Benjamin's biological father dead in his casket at a funeral. Benjamin returns home only to be informed that Queenie has died. We then see her funeral scene, where he appears shell-shocked, while his stepsister grieves over her mother's death. Benjamin leaves Daisy and their young daughter before the latter can remember him, knowing that as he ages younger, he will no longer be able to care for her, and doesn't want to leave Daisy having to raise two children. Caroline reads postcards for the first time from her father from long ago. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Mortality, aging, and what it means to be young, old, and anywhere in the middle. We hear that Queenie can't have children (although that later proves to be false). The comment that death was a common visitor at the nursing home. We hear that Oti is a pygmy and that he's been married five times. How being struck by lightning isn't funny in real life (it's a running gag here). The comment that piano playing is not about how well you play, but how you feel while you play. The comment that we're meant to lose the people we love. We briefly see flashback footage of Elizabeth trying to swim the English Channel but coming up short. We briefly hear President Roosevelt's speech about the attack on Pearl Harbor. The comment that you never know what's coming for you. The comments that you're only young once. The comment that life is defined by opportunities, even including the missed ones. We briefly see a war veteran who has no legs (clothed). The notion that parts of our lives are determined by sheer coincidence as well as both good and bad timing, where one minor difference in a chain of events could result in a major change. The comment that none of us is perfect forever. The comment that we all end up in diapers. Benjamin is now a young boy with dementia, and he swipes some stuff off a table while angry and/or confused. VIOLENCE We see some imagined war footage from World War I where the scene is played in reverse, and thus wounded or dead soldiers suddenly pop up off the ground and back up to life (along with what look like bursts of blood going back into their bodies). We see old-timey footage of a man being struck by lightning, while on a roof, and later getting his mail (all played as comedy despite the severity of the strikes, and this stems from the now old man asking Benjamin if he ever told him that he has been struck by lightning seven times in his life). We see the same man as before being struck by lightning, this time in the field. Two adult twin brothers briefly tussle after getting off Captain Mike's tugboat, and later actually fight in a bar. Captain Mike and his tugboat crew join the efforts in World War II, mainly as a salvage and recovery operation. They eventually come across the aftermath of a torpedo attack, and see a large burning ship in the distance, as well as various bodies floating by. In the distance, they then see an enemy submarine surface, and turn off all of their lights, racing toward it. Men atop the submarine shoot machine guns at the tugboat whose gunner returns machine gun fire at them. Various people are hit on both sides, with the tugboat then crashing into and running over the submarine, eventually causing it to sink. Various people on the tugboat die from this encounter. We see the lightning man from before once again getting struck by a bolt of lightning, this time in his truck, and again played for laughs on the part of the film. We see another view of the lightning man from above being struck by lightning while walking his dog (the latter is not hit). We see Daisy step out in front of an approaching taxi, not having seen it, and hear but don't see the impact that breaks her leg in several places. That results in her being in the hospital with her leg elevated and wrapped, and various bloody scrapes on her face. We hear the sound of pregnant Daisy falling, and then see her at the bottom of some steps, with some blood on and around her (but she ends up delivering her baby just fine). Benjamin is now a young boy with dementia, and he swipes some stuff off a table while angry and/or confused. We see another view of the above lightning man struck by lightning, again played for comedy. Reviewed December 1, 2008 / Posted December 25, 2008

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