The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 37
  3. Negative: 1 out of 37
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  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    100
    Superbly made and winningly acted by Brad Pitt in his most impressive outing to date.
  2. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    100
    It takes a world-class storyteller and a great yarn to rivet your attention for nearly three hours. This very classy, old-school movie - employing cutting-edge technology that will make your eyes pop - did it for me.
  3. Premiere
    Reviewed by: Jenni Miller
    100
    Naturally, Pitt and Blanchett are outstanding. Fincher's meticulous attention to detail is unerring, down to the light fixtures.
  4. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Michael Sragow
    100
    Brad Pitt's sensitive performance helps make 'Benjamin Button' a timeless masterpiece.
  5. Empire
    Reviewed by: Ian Freer
    100
    Aptly for a film so concerned with time, Button is 13 minutes shy of three hours and just flies by. If this is Fincher selling out, can he sell out more often please?
  6. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    100
    This film's manifold pleasures come in a series of small packages, with treats inside as tasty as they are unexpected.
  7. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    100
    Benjamin Button is all of a visionary piece, and it's a soul-filling vision.
  8. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    91
    A curious case indeed: an extravagantly ambitious movie that's easy to admire but a challenge to love.
  9. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    91
    With his usual intelligence, technical virtuosity (the reverse-aging effects are astounding) and storytelling panache, director Fincher gives the film a power and unity that make nearly three hours go by in a flash and pulls its diverse elements together to be something unique for a Hollywood movie -- a true spiritual experience.
  10. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: David Ansen
    90
    Lyrical, original, misshapen and deeply felt, this is one flawed beauty of a movie.
  11. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    88
    This is a long, impeccably detailed, richly textured movie about a most unusual life, and although it's far from perfect, the sum of it achieves what Fincher set out to do in the first place: Make you blubber like a 6-year-old who just found his pet turtle lying belly-up.
  12. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    88
    There's no denying the film's power of compulsion and the sense that, when it's all over, it means something. Most viewers will be entertained and moved, and some will find their intellect aroused.
  13. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    83
    It's long, like life, but like life it continually fascinates.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 395 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 104 out of 178
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 178
  3. Negative: 48 out of 178
  1. SamS.
    10
    Get ready to cry. This movie deserves more than a 70, proving that the "critics" are not always correct.
  2. AndrewG.
    10
    Such a Magical movie, with a great cast, and an inspiring and emotional concept. Beautifully crafted, it deserved best picture.
  3. RegOz
    9
    Absolutely beautiful! Long but I didn't feel it because I was caught by the story. Scott Fitzgerald was indeed a great author, and I loved the fact that they were able to portray his work in this wonderful movie. Just because a movie is not 'realistic' and is based in fantasy doesn't mean that there are not important issues to be explored. This movie is about inner strength about having the ability to get through life with faith, acknowledging one's limitations yet, fighting to acomplish our goals. It is also about loyalty and courage... and about frustration too, because not everything can be changed since there are things that escape to our hands. It may be over emotional and overly 'optimistic', but it does not diminish its value. It is not a drama, it is not a thriller, it is not a comedy.I wouldn't put it in a specific category...this just IS a wonderful story, written by a great novelist...and brought to be enjoyed in a total different way...the big screen!… Full Review »
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