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"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is a short story originally created by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Screen writer Eric Roth and producer David Fincher take the premise of a person "growing down" from old age to youth and flesh it out, expanding it into trip that brings the viewer into an opportunity not only for entertainment, but self-reflection, to the feet of deeper questions of beginnings, endings, and the life worth living in between.

My favorite part of the movie was this entire premise. Benjamin is seen by the outside world as someone who is grown. He is treated as he is perceived, except by his "momma" (his adoptive mom) and Daisy, his life-long love. It's a little creepy, seeing an octogenarian hiding under a piano with a little girl. But Daisy is really the only person who "sees" Benjamin for who he really is. The innocence with which young Charles Henry Wyson plays the "old" man is phenomenal among actors of his age.

I also felt Brad Pitt did an OK job playing Benjamin. Picture "Forrest Gump-ish" interpretation without the mental challenges (and much easier on the eyes - excuse me). Benjamin never really loses his innocent demeanor until later in the movie, when he has a child. Then, it seems, the weight of his "disease" hits him, and his character development takes a drastic turn.

Overall, while I liked the movie, I was not "blown out of the water" by it. The best part, for me, was the story line. The acting was good - special kudos to the younger cast members and Ms. Blanchett - but not memorable in the grand scheme of Hollywood history. The extra touches were nice (the story of the backward clock; Tilda Swinton's portrayal of the English Channel swimmer "finally" accomplishing her life-long goal). Overall, in my opinion, this was one that was promoted to greatness.

But the movie still left me with a bittersweet, haunting thought. The fact is, the movie left me unsettled. Why? I guess the resolution, while in theory following the natural course of the movie, was not what I envisioned. It puts a whole new spin on the philosophy, "Hope I die before I get old." Also, the reverse reality - a little boy with dementia (to me, the feeling was one of an autistic child a bit), was tough to watch. And the seemingly abrupt interruption to the development of the Benjamin character didn't sit well with me.

This was definitely NOT a "feel good" movie. And yes, it raised a lot of questions about the way we view people, the idea of wisdom, and love - unconditional (expressed by Momma when Benjamin was a child, and Daisy as he got "younger") - "should" have given me hope. But the premise of the movie still smacked a bit of nihilism, with hints of hopelessness. I guess that part always keeps me thinking about life and hope and futility and all those things.

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