The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Dionysos, god of wine: I liked this movie the first time, when it was called Forrest Gump. It even has a similar-sounding catch phrase: "You never know what's comin' at ya," which replaces Gump's box of chocolates metaphor, "You never know what yer gonna git." Pitt, Blanchett, and Swinton--an all-star cast--deliver great performances, which makes it all the more pitiable that it wasn't more original. Thumbs down.

Athena, goddess of wisdom: Dionysos, I don't see how you can praise B-movies while criticizing quality films like this one. I see the similarities, but I appreciate them. Like Forrest Gump, this movie delightfully portrays the changing eras of the 20th century. The true hero of the story is time itself. Thumbs up.

Hestia, goddess of the hearth: Gee, you two always have such articulate opinions! As for me, I just plain liked it. It was cute. You know, as goddess of the hearth in the home, I see things. Families grow up around me. I love to watch them grow and change, part and reunite. The people change but the story's the same. That's what this movie reminded me of. Golly, would you listen to me--that was almost articulate! I'll to tire myself out at this rate. Anyway, thumbs up.


Two thumbs up, one thumb down

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
This film, loosely based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tells the magical tale of a man who ages backward. On November 11, 1918, the eve of the end of the First World War, a most unusual child is born. Benjamin (Pitt) is born wrinkled and old. After his mother dies in labor and his father abandons him as a freak of nature, he is taken in by Queenie (Henson), a black woman who works at a nursing home. Inexplicably, Benjamin's body gradually grows younger. The story follows his extraordinary life through the decades of the twentieth century, up till modern day.
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Jared Harris, Jason Flemyng
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 72%
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DID YOU KNOW? Aging was one of the distinctions between mortals and the ageless gods. Hebe, the goddess of youth, bore the cup of ambrosia that kept the gods eternally young. Her counterpart was Geras, Old Age, one of the malevolent spirits spawned by the goddess Nyx (Night). The goddess of dawn, Eos, once asked Zeus to grant immortality to her lover Tithonus, but she forgot to also ask for agelessness. Now he lies aged and bedridden, babbling endlessdly, unable to move but unable to die.