# The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2008, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716 "2008-12-26T09:35:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/21 "2009-01-05T06:11:47Z")
> [@meenie7](#): > > No, I like sad music and some sad books. I’m not opposed to serious ruminations – just not about the very worst things in life. Sadness, heartbreak, illness – you can get through those, you can overcome and get better. Death is forever. I don’t understand why you’d pay money to be urged to think about something so sad, that’s going to happen in real life to you, and to all the people you know, so it’s not like by skipping the movie you’re hiding from it. You’re just not paying for the “privilege.” Art is supposed to be about every aspect of life, including the “worst” stuff. Some of the greatest works of art of all time have death in them. If you don’t want to think about sad stuff, then stick to the talking rabbit movies. ---
**Author:** ![meenie7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@meenie7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meenie7)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/22 "2009-01-05T06:45:33Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > If you don’t want to think about sad stuff, then stick to the talking rabbit movies. Yeah, the ones I didn’t say I watched. Those talking rabbit movies. 😛 It’s so weird to me how no one, here or in real life, can have a conversation about this topic without getting mad at me for not wanting to be depressed by a movie. I don’t mind sad stuff, like I said. But the feeling evoked by the sort of ordinary, non-noble death that happens in movies about old people, or people with fatal diseases, etc. makes me more than sad…it makes me really, really uncomfortable and depressed. I asked an honest question about why someone would want to do something that seems unpleasant to me – the same as someone might ask what the thrill of skydiving was or something – and I get accused of being some sort of emotional child. I’m just curious what you and others get out of thinking about this stuff that I apparently don’t get. That’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/23 "2009-01-05T07:55:55Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > How did they do the makeup for when Brad Pitt was an old man at the beginning? It didn’t look CGI, was it another actor? It looked like Pitt. It was him, and it was CGI. In fact, they have been trying to develop this film in Hollywood for 50+ years now, but kept running into problems due to studio heads wanting to use multiple actors for the title role. It was only because of recent tests showing it could be done with CGI and one actor which got this project the go-ahead to be produced. ETA: technically, there were a few child actors who also played the title role toward the end, but child actors are cheap. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/24 "2009-01-05T09:11:51Z")
I thought young Brad Pitt was more impressive than old Brad Pitt. The scenes where he was 20-25ish were especially impressive. It looked just like his actual younger self. How did they accomplish that? ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/25 "2009-01-05T10:06:31Z")
> [@meenie7](#): > > I don’t want to really get into an argument, but…why would you want to watch a movie about that? Doesn’t that happen enough in real life? I think most people would agree that the deaths of people you know and the thought of your own death are two of the worst thoughts and experiences in life. So why would you want to pay money to be prompted to think about them? First: It is not all that uncomfortable for me to watch an ordinary person dying of old age. To me it’s almost comforting; better to die old and in bed than young and on a battlefield. I mean, yeah, it’s no picnic, I’ve seen death, I’ve watched it take my parents–but in the midst of life we are in death. Second: In the movie, despite the final departures of several characters, there are plenty of lighter moments. Just as it is in life. The point, for me, is to embrace it all, not just the easy or “noble” stuff. The point is to seize the day. > [@](#): > > I am not going to see this movie, obviously, but a lot of people I know did. People pay money to think about all sorts of things. While the movie was not flawless, I can think of a lot worse entertainment than Benjamin Button. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/26 "2009-01-05T17:17:43Z")
> [@zuma](#): > > I thought young Brad Pitt was more impressive than old Brad Pitt. The scenes where he was 20-25ish were especially impressive. It looked just like his actual younger self. How did they accomplish that? I was wondering about the teen-aged Pitt.. How’d they do that one? (He was, what? 16 or so in that one scene where he comes to visit her at the dance studio?) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/27 "2009-01-05T17:24:38Z")
Beautiful (especially Cate Blanchett, perhaps the only woman alive who can make Brad Pitt look plain) but empty. Felt like **Forrest Gump** and **Titanic** found each other at closing time and had sloppy sex. There were definitely some tearjerking scenes, but they felt put on, as with Titanic, even if they were effective. I liked the bit with Benjamin as an old man playing with his toys. And the dementia towards the end. And, again, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton’s ability to transcend the weak script. But that’s about it. Honestly, I thought the trailer with the Arcade Fire song was much more interesting (and unconventional). ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/28 "2009-01-05T18:59:16Z")
> [@zuma](#): > > I thought young Brad Pitt was more impressive than old Brad Pitt. The scenes where he was 20-25ish were especially impressive. It looked just like his actual younger self. How did they accomplish that? I agree. In fact, this was one of the things I wondered about. His leaving her after the child was born didn’t fit with his character. He was dedicated to her, to family, and he never forgave his own father for abandoning him. When I started watching, I assumed that they did it because they _had to_ technically, because there was no way to make Brad Pitt look like he was 16 again. He’d leave in his mid-thirties and they’d reconnect when he was young enough to be played by a child actor. But they _did_ it, and it worked. So what the hell? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/29 "2009-01-05T19:01:58Z")
I find that decision very believable either, and I think they only did it so the daughter could be surprised at the end to find out he was her father. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/30 "2009-01-05T19:20:43Z")
> [@clayton\_e](#): > > I was wondering about the teen-aged Pitt.. How’d they do that one? (He was, what? 16 or so in that one scene where he comes to visit her at the dance studio?) She had the baby when she was 43 and he 49. Their daughter was only about 15 so he was 34. Not a teenager at all. All they did was give him jeans and a youthful haircut. I was already at the point when I started hating the movie, when they then established their ages. Her 43 and rising, him 49 and decreasing. Therefore, they were 46 at the same time, which would make her 92 when he died as a newborn. However, they were born in 1918, so she would have then been 85 at Katrina. Unless she started going backwards too, they effed up the ages. Now, I am willing to suspend disbelief for the premise, but at least be internally consistent. But I realized afterwards that it was the Forrest-Gump-ness that made me hate this movie so much. The doting mom, the person-with-a-condition goes on adventures. They even managed to include the “I told him I hated him because I couldn’t stand for him to see me like that” chestnut. And this seals my opinion of Brad Pitt as a pretty face and not much more. He was good in Burn After Reading and Johnny Suede, which called for dumb characters, but standing there looking pretty, especially opposite Cate Blanchett, does not a good actor make. God I hated this movie. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/31 "2009-01-05T19:28:40Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Why did the spirit of the sea captain show up at the hospital at the end? He is the humming bird. It was HIS special symbol. Oh, God, I had blocked that out. That made me roll my eyes to the back of my head and groan. Not loud enough to ruin the tearjerking for the rest the crowd. > [@](#): > > OH man, I hate to say this because I hate this phrase but I want those 16 hours of my life back. After Seven Pounds, it was “Will Smith, can I have my hour and a half back?” and after this one, “Can I have my 2 hours and 47 minutes back?” The only good part was the teenagers talking and texting across the aisle stopped when I glared and shushed them. That victory made it almost worthwhile to sit through this ick. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/32 "2009-01-05T19:32:11Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I agree. > > In fact, this was one of the things I wondered about. His leaving her after the child was born didn’t fit with his character. He was dedicated to her, to family, and he never forgave his own father for abandoning him. When I started watching, I assumed that they did it because they _had to_ technically, because there was no way to make Brad Pitt look like he was 16 again. He’d leave in his mid-thirties and they’d reconnect when he was young enough to be played by a child actor. But they _did_ it, and it worked. So what the hell? Well, and the stupid part was he didn’t want Daisy to have to raise both of them at once. Um, you’re 49. It will be 35 years until you’re even an insufferable teenager and by then the daughter will be on her own, as \*\*Carnick \*\*suggests. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/33 "2009-01-05T19:34:39Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > And this seals my opinion of Brad Pitt as a pretty face and not much more. He was good in Burn After Reading and Johnny Suede, which called for dumb characters, but standing there looking pretty, especially opposite Cate Blanchett, does not a good actor make. Hey, he was pretty good in **Kalifornia**. And unattractive! I can’t believe I forgot the Titanic-inspired, cast-of-characters ending. That and the hummingbird did me in. Good lord, if this wins an Oscar for anything other than make-up or cinematography, we’re all doomed. Anyone who’d like a beautiful cinematic reflection on aging and loss should check out Sarah Polley’s **Away From Her**. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/34 "2009-01-05T19:37:30Z")
The movie never said that Benjamin de-aged at a rate that was perfectly symmetrical to regular aging. My impression was that he de-aged at a slightly faster rate than normal people aged. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/35 "2009-01-05T19:41:26Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > Good lord, if this wins an Oscar for anything other than make-up or cinematography, we’re all doomed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/36 "2009-01-05T19:55:43Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think it might help to read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original short story. You can read it online [right here](http://www.readbookonline.net/read/690/10628/). It’s very short and much more minimalistic (and the movie takes virtually nothing from it but the title character and the basic premise), but I think the underlying themes are the same. Gads. Uhm… Wow. Just read it. It’s pretty interresting and powerful for a short story. The end… Very depressing, if you ask me, but I suspect others will have a different view of it. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/37 "2009-01-05T20:22:33Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > She had the baby when she was 43 and he 49. Their daughter was only about 15 so he was 34. Not a teenager at all. All they did was give him jeans and a youthful haircut. I understood that to mean that he had been born 49 years before, not that he was physiologically 49. There is no way they could have pinned down his apparent age so exactly. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/38 "2009-01-05T21:45:36Z")
When the doctor examined the baby, he remarked on him having the characteristics of a terribly old man (85 say). So, subtract 49 years and he’s “36” when she has the baby. If he’s much less than that, they aren’t meeting in the middle. And she’s 43, born in 1924. Katrina in 2005. 1918 - BB born plus 49 years 1967 - Daisy is 43, Sara born–Daisy born 1924 Benjamin sees Sara when she is ~15, so 1982; he’s 64 but equivalent to 36 less 15; 21 is about right for jeans and youthful haircut Benjamin lives to 85 ~ 2003 2005 Daisy dies at 81 Well, that makes me feel a little better about the whole timeline. But not the rest of it! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/39 "2009-01-06T04:56:01Z")
I’d have to see it again to be sure (and that’s not something I want to do… I share many of the opinions expressed here), but I think they did more than jeans and a youthful haircut for his age 21 scene (dance studio). Brad Pitt is 45 years old and in that scene he looks 21 again. In fact, in the moments before the dance studio scene, it seemed like they were avoiding showing his face (shot from a distance, in shadows, etc). That’s where I immediately thought it was a cheat, but was surprised when they did do close-ups in the dance studio and immediately afterward. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716/40 "2009-01-06T06:58:11Z")
> [@ArrMatey](#): > > Gads. Uhm… Wow. Just read it. It’s pretty interresting and powerful for a short story. The end… Very depressing, if you ask me, but I suspect others will have a different view of it. I read the short story the day after seeing the movie. My impression of the story was the same as the movie. Sorta interesting idea that ends up not really making anything in the way of a point. It’s like a thought experiment gone wrong: If I make such and such a change to reality as I know it…well hm, it pretty much just goes like anyone and his brother would expect! Woohoo! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button-spoilers/478716.md?page=3)