The Curious Case of Benjamin Button *****

A technical tour de force and completely satisfying movie epic, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" tells the tale of a boy born old, who lives life in reverse, growing younger each year as everyone around him grows old. What's most curious, or perhaps not so curious after all, is how much alike life appears coming from either end. The same challenges are there, and one never knows what life will bring, although we are all, ultimately, alone. But there is always the caring for those you love who can't take care of themselves. And there is connecting, with sex, and love, sharing with someone special, and starting over when you need to.

Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the movie has the unhurried pace, lavish period sets (from 1918 to Hurricane Katrina), authentic dress and utterly convincing special effects and makeup that only a megabudget can provide. But none of that intrudes or calls attention to itself; the focus is always on the characters and their lives. It's been said that no great movie could be made from a great book, since so much is required to translate a collection of words into a collection of pictures, and so much interior life must be sacrificed. But here we have the opposite, a short story that spans almost a century that is fleshed out with a huge cast and the arcs of lives that span generations.

As the two main characters, Benjamin Button and the love of his life Daisy, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchette are superb, and the range of years they play is nothing short of astonishing. Tilda Swinton and Julia Ormond admirably hold their parts of the movie together. And director David Fincher brings the same sort of attention to composition, pace, and character that he dazzled us with in "Zodiac." The long run time is necessary to the story, and never feels self-indulgent. This is one to savor.

Rated PG-13. 159 minutes. David Fincher - Director, Eric Roth - Writer (screenplay) (screen story), Robin Swicord - Writer (screen story), Ceán Chaffin - Producer, Kathleen Kennedy - Producer, Frank Marshall - Producer, Claudio Miranda - Cinematographer, Alexandre Desplat - Composer, Donald Graham Burt - Production Designer, Kirk Baxter - Editor, Angus Wall - Editor. Produced by The Kennedy/Marshall Company. Distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Principal actors: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas, and Tilda Swinton.