See 'Benjamin Button,' just don't try to guess his age

By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY
Who would have thought Brad Pitt, even aged artificially, could bear a resemblance to Yoda?

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (* * * out of four) is worth seeing just for the superb prosthetic makeup and seamless computer-generated effects in which Pitt's head is digitally imposed onto older bodies. The film, ambitious if flawed, also is lyrical and melancholy as it tells the story of a man aging backward.

But the tale, though laudably imaginative, is overlong and not as emotionally involving as it could be. David Fincher, one of the best contemporary directors, has made a notable departure from such darker fare as Zodiac and Fight Club.

The influence of screenwriter Eric Roth is perhaps even stronger than Fincher's capable direction. Roth wrote 1994's Forrest Gump, and Button has notable similarities.

Benjamin is a passive and reactive character, and Pitt is appropriately understated. The long romance between Button and Daisy is less convincing; we never get a full sense of who she is.