The Curious Case of Benjamin Button parents guide

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Parent Guide

Overall C-

The life of Benjamin Button (played by Brad Pitt) is indeed a curious case. Born as an eighty-year-old man, the elderly infant grows younger as the years pass by. His unusual aging pattern makes it difficult for Benjamin to find his place in the world, but he does make one friend, Daisy (Cate Blanchett).

Release date December 25, 2008

Violence C
Sexual Content D+
Profanity D+
Substance Use C

Why is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button rated PG-13? The MPAA rated The Curious Case of Benjamin Button PG-13 for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking.

Run Time: 167 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Some people are born with an old spirit, wise and settled beyond their years. But Benjamin Button is just born old. The face of the newborn is one that only a mother can love, and before she (Joeanna Sayler) dies from childbirth his mother makes her husband promise to find a place in the world for their son.

But Thomas Button (Jason Flemyng) can’t abide the sight of his wrinkled, arthritic offspring. When his plans to throw the child in the river are impeded by the presence of a police officer on the dock, Thomas finds a porch to deposit the baby on. Whether by design or not, it happens to be a home for the elderly. Fortunately, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), a compassionate Black caregiver who looks after the aging residents, finds the abandoned child, takes him in, and raises him as her own.

From the day of his arrival at the seniors’ hospice, Benjamin (Brad Pitt) relates to the aches and pains of the tenants. However, he also knows he’s different from the other house occupants and Queenie never lets him forget it. Growing stronger and more agile with time, Benjamin’s body may look old but he has a childlike curiosity and is intrigued by the young granddaughter of one of the women in the care center.

Despite their exterior age differences, Benjamin and the redheaded Daisy (Elle Fanning), become good friends. They continue to meet through the years as the now grown Daisy (Cate Blanchett) dances on stages around the world as a ballerina. Meanwhile Benjamin’s buddy takes the old-looking but adolescent-minded boy into a seedy brothel where he introduces him to a bevy of prostitutes and the effects of alcohol.

The passage of time in the movie is marked by real historical events like the bombing of Pearl Harbor, (which finds Benjamin drawn into a bloody and deadly encounter with enemy fire), the debut of the Beatles and the launching of a rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. Even the story’s narrator, Daisy’s daughter (Julie Ormond), reads from Benjamin’s journal as Hurricane Katrina bears down on the Gulf coast.

The technical effects and make-up used to age these actors, along with strong performances by secondary cast members, might be worth the price of tickets alone. However despite these artistic accomplishments, frequent liaisons (including a naked encounter on the beach) with numerous sexual partners all happen without consequence and rarely with a resulting pregnancy. Profanities, including a couple of strong sexual expletives, also mar the script. As well, a series of unnecessary scenes draw the film’s runtime to nearly three hours.

Crossing generational boundaries, the film focuses on love and the ageless attraction between the maturing Daisy and the ever-younger Benjamin. Yet despite the strength of their unusual relationship, the onscreen activities of these two characters, who consummate their love in the “middle” of their lives, make it hard to recommend The Curious Case of Benjamin as a strong option for family entertainment.

Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond. Running time: 167 minutes. Theatrical release December 25, 2008. Updated

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Rating & Content Info

Why is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button rated PG-13? The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking.

Following a brief scene of childbirth, a baby is abandoned by his father and raised in a home for the elderly. One senior resident goes outside without clothes on and another smokes in bed. Several characters die from old age. A “boy” visits a brothel and hires a prostitute. He also goes to a bar where he drinks with other patrons. Other couples engage in or discuss sexual activity. Comments are made about unmarried and lesbian relationships. A naked couple is seen on the beach. Characters frequently drink and smoke. Several characters are killed during a battle with enemy soldiers. One man’s bloody chest is exposed. Dead bodies are seen floating in the water. Strong language, including two sexual expletives, and numerous terms of Christian Deity are used. A dying woman is given medication for pain relief.

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Parents' Guide

How do filmmakers depict Benjamin’s youthfulness even when he is an old man? How does his character change over time?

What impact does Queenie have on those that she cares for? How does her attitude influence Benjamin’s feelings about his own life experience?

 

Home Video

The most recent home video release of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie is May 5, 2009. Here are some details…

Examine The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in any of the following three home video packages:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button DVD is presented in widescreen with audio tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English and Spanish), with subtitles in English and French.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 2-Disc Special Edition (DVD) is presented in widescreen with audio tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English and Spanish), with subtitles in English and French. Bonus materials include an audio commentary by director David Fincher, a four-part documentary on the movie, trailers, Easter Eggs, text and photo galleries.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 2-Disc Special Edition (Blu-ray) is presented in widescreen with audio tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1 (English) and DTS HD Master Audio (English) and subtitles in English, French and Spanish. Bonus materials include an audio commentary by director David Fincher, a four-part documentary on the movie, trailers, Easter Eggs, text and photo galleries.

 

Related home video titles:

Reading from an old journal, a man recounts the story of two socially-different young lovers during the 1940s in the movie The Notebook. Two elderly men gain a new lease on life when they are named as guardians for an abandoned boy in Secondhand Lions. The classic film Citizen Kane also uses amazing make-up transformations to depict the aging process of the characters.

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