Fincher Countdown Part 6 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Hello everyone and welcome to Some Like It Scott's latest limited series: the Fincher Countdown. Each week in the lead up to David Fincher's latest film, Mank, the two Scotts and countdown special guest, Jay Habib, will be working their way through most* of David Fincher's filmography in chronological order, starting from his non-franchise debut, the neo-noir psychological detective thriller, SEVEN, leading all the way to 2014's GONE GIRL. Join us each week as we talk about a different Fincher film!

 

On Part 6 of the countdown, Scott, Scott, and Jay revisit what may arguably Fincher's furthest afield film, at least from his normal standards, that is of course the fantasy romantic drama, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Starring Brad Pitt as a man aging in reverse and born on the eve of the end of World War I, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is an epic life-spanning tale exploring the simple concept of what it would be like if you lived your life's milestones in reverse. What if you looked the part of an aging veteran of life's trials and tribulations, but had in fact not weathered any of them? What if you arrived in your 20s with 50-60 years of life experience under your belt? What would it feel like to form close relationships with someone (see: Cate Blanchett's Daisy) who you would watch grow old as you stay young and even become a child? Fincher's sixth non-franchise outing tries to posit an answer to all those questions, all the while exploring (or at least trying to explore) complex emotional themes wrapped up in human life and the passage of time. The countdown trio give their thoughts on whether Fincher is successfully tells his epic story, whether the performances were worth their salt (particularly in the case of the film's two Oscar nominees, Pitt and Taraji P. Henson), and whether the film effectively explores its central themes.