| Overall Grade: |
F |
|
| Story: |
F |
|
|
| Acting: |
A+ |
|
|
| Direction: |
C+ |
|
|
| Visuals: |
A |
|
|
Depressing and 3 hours long!!!
by Jennifer (movies profile)
Dec 29, 2008
57
of
98 people found this review helpful
The trailers were deceptive. I went because the concept was interesting. The trailers made it seem like this movie would be interesting, thoughtful, magical. NOPE!!!
I read the short story before I saw this. I loved how Benjamin connected with different people depending on his age. In the beginning of the short story, he connects with his grandfather because that is who he has the most in common with, then eventually his father, and Daisy until he and Daisy grow apart.
I made the mistake of not reading the reviews or checking the movie time before I went, so I had no idea it was 3 hours long!!!
The movie just wouldn't end. The first scene is on the dying Daisy with her daughter. The TV continues to warn of Hurricane Katrina. The hurricane is in no way related to the plot, all it did was distract from the main storyline. When I saw the dying, barely able to speak Daisy in the very first scene, I thought, "Ah, Crap, this is gonna be depressing."
This movie is VERY depressing. Be prepared to see three hours of various people dying. It is even narrated by a dying Daisy, and then her daughter reading Benjamin's diary, which then became his voice narrating. Way too many narrators. This subplot of Daisy and the daughter was not needed.
It was VERY distracting to be pulled from Benjamin's story and into a hospital and newcasts of the hurricane,and of some woman in the room, who kept saying she needed to check on her daughter, which happened too frequently. I have no idea who that woman even was.
Benjamin's biological and adoptive parents die, the healer dies, he lives in a retirement home where the residents die daily, the people on his tug boat die and a bunch of soliders die, Daisy dies. Almost every scene had someone dying, and eventually Ben dies, but Ben wasn't going out until a freaking long time.
I wanted to walk, no run out of this movie, but I stayed to see how they would portray Ben at the end. And once Ben FINALLY dies, I took off, and the movie was still freaking going.
There were SO many scenes that didn't need to be in the movie. For some reason, they kept coming back to a guy who claims to have been struck by lighting seven times, and yes he is shown getting hit by lighting each time. I'm sure it was exciting for the guy to be in a movie, but he wasn't needed. He was there basically to deliver this message. "Be glad you are alive."
There is a story of a blind man, whose son is killed in the war, so he creates a clock that runs backward. This is one of those stories that is no way directly related to Ben's story, but is there to add to those three freaking hours.
There is a scene where they describe Daisy getting hurt. Ben actually describes every little event that happened to cause Diasy getting hurt. A woman forgot her coat, went back, missed a cab, the package wasn't wrapped at the store because the girl at the shop broke up with her boyfriend, the cab driver stopped for a drink, Daisy waited for her friend, who broke her shoelace, A man's alarm clock didn't go off, a van got in the way and on and on. You get the idea.
The start of the movie was SO slow. I kept waiting for Benjamin to get younger and start his love affair with Daisy, but it took forever for him to come out of childhood.
When he eventually gets to be with Daisy, their time together is shown in a quick montage, then it is over. It took forever for them to get together, and their time is over in a flash. Daisy's character isn't very likable. She's rude to Ben a lot of the time, and even says she doesn't want to be with him at one point.
It takes forever for him to get young, then when he does, he gets younger and younger in a flash.
He even goes to a brothel, and I'm thinking when he does, he is under 15 years old.
The only cool thing about the movie was that the logos were constructed of buttons.
I have NO idea why people are saying this was a good movie, or the best movie of the year. These people are either fans of Brad Pitt, somehow worked on the movie, or are clearly disturbed. It's depressing. It is constantly reminding us what we have in store. It makes you think of dying, growing old, getting sick. There is no happiness or bright spot in the film. There's no plot, no storyline. We simply follow Ben around while he watches everyone grow very old, get sick and slowly die.
He has flings, but never really connects with anyone. The film is shot in darkness a lot. I'm guessing to hide the makeup. You leave the movie depressed, tired and wanting your money back. I hope the only award this film gets is for makeup and special effects.
If you must see it, rent the dvd, so you can fast forward. This is a movie you will not want to see twice or even once, unless you REALLY enjoy being seriously depressed. |
My Public Profile 
