The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A New American Classic

Pajamas Media ^ | December 25 | Kyle Smith

[supremedoctrine]

People and critics are all over the place about this movie.
I’ve heard GREAT reviews and TERRIBLE reviews.
As usual, I will probably be somewhere in the middle.

[Ditter]

I want to see this one. We saw the previews the other night when we saw Australia.

Australia is pretty but awful, BTW. It is a chick flick trying to disguise its self as a rough and tough western. My husband who wouldn't go to a chick flick if I tried to drag his still warm corpse in the theater, is still complaining how awful and lovey dovey kissy kissy it is.

[escapefromboston]

I had no desire to this film when I first heard of it (it seemed like a chick flick) but after I saw the commercials I can’t wait to see it.

[fwdude]

No thanks. I can't stand Brad Pitt (what a pathetic “actor”), and his support for anti-family anti-prop 8 forces reinforces this.

[BenLurkin]

I will do my duty and accompany Mrs. Lurkin to see certain films of her choosing. Many are mind-numbingly intolerable (eg "My Best Friend's Wedding" or "Sweet Home Alabama") but this one wasn't TOO bad --

[Ditter]

Tell me how you feel about Australia.

[zarodinu]

Looking forward to seeing this. This movie seems to polarize critics which makes me curious.

[mysterio]

Going to definitely see this one. It looks awesome.

[stormer]

Early Grayce would beg to differ (and so would I).

[bpjam]

I would skip the next Batman sequel if Brad Pitt was in it.

He is on my ‘DO NOT PAY TO SEE’ list.

[seoul62]

I understand the general feeling, many years ago I forced my then boyfriend-now Husband to see the chick-flick-costume drama: Emma, which I adored but he throughly hated./Just Asking - seoul62......

[shhrubbery!]

Beware, the screenwriter has taken politically correct liberties with F. Scott Fitzgerald's story.

This flick "updates" the tale by inserting Hurricane Katrina;
and worse, the Hollywood writers fabricated a "kindly African-American" character who serves as this flick's Magic Negro.

Here's a reply I posted on another thread...

[quote from review]...a kindly African-American worker at the home, Queenie (in a marvelous performance by Taraji P. Henson), embraces Benjamin as one of God’s children — even as she observes that Lord has done something very “strange” in this case — and adopts him.

This kindly "African-American" is an invention of Pitt's also (in addition to the Hurricane Katrina storyline). She is not F. Scott Fitzgerald's character, at least.

I just read the first five chapters of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button --full text free online-- and there is NO "Queenie" anywhere in those chapters. Nor does Fitzgerald call anyone an "African-American" (now there's an anachronism).

Looks to me like another case of "The Magic Negro" as described by leftist LA Times writer David Ehrenstein. AKA The Numinous Negro, as identified by Rick Brookhiser of NRO earlier.

Does Hollywood make any movies anymore that don't have a "Magic Negro" in the storyline?

I don't know about other FReepers, but when screenwriters turn a story upside down to make it pc (the wretched movie version of Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" for example), it makes it un-watchable for me!

[fwdude]

I just knew it. It's impossible nowadays to make a decent film without some kind of political statement sandwiched in somewhere. Just saw Day the Earth Stood Still which had great effects, but I thought I was watching an Al Gore documentary.

[Psycho_Bunny]

Forrest Gump was one of the dumbest movies I ever saw so, whatever.....this looks dumb, too.

[pabianice]

Brad Pitt is born as a feeble old man of about 80

The delivery scene must be a hoot.

[chae]

Really? I liked a comment he made “Don’t ask me for my opinion on politics, I’m a grown man who wears make-up and plays pretend.”

[Ukiapah Heep]

My relatives are huge liberals. At the holiday season I put on a DVD of The Family Stone and it's just like a family get together. Except that I'm a guy and don't look like Sarah Jessica Parker.

[nufsed]

Sly and the Family Stone?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I'm a sucker for Twilight Zone variety stories like this one appears to be. Wife and I will likely see this movie.