The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (...

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Not a bad movie. Well-liked by all including the current resident teenager, or, to paraphrase a phrase describing someone else besides James Brown, "the hardest working teenager not currently frolicking in Israel." Some of us may remember that Mr. Brown, who had the trademark description of being "the hardest working man in show business," was, on occasion, in trouble due to domestic abuse concerns. While he was in some such trouble at one time or another, another musician was described as "the hardest working man in show business not currently on a work-release program."

From the files of Wikipedia found on the Internet where you can also find the original story which will take about two hours and 15 minutes less time to read than to watch the movie.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American fantasy drama film, based on the 1921 short story of the same name written by F. Scott Fitzgerald."
He of Saint Paul fame and who has several Historical Literary plaques around town.

 Since Russia oddly figures into the movie we can inject Mr. Karl Marx, of some fame or other who had the oddly original idea that
everything ran on an economic basis. Hence, a story that originally
took place in Baltimore now moves to New Orleans due to the constant
struggle between the classes (read states) in giving tax breaks to Hollywood "intelligentsias". In an extraordinary act of compassion, the film makers donated the movie props to Katrina survivors. What next? Hardtack?

The Queenie character name given to the adoptive mother is oddly the same as the character name that Hattie McDaniel had in Show Boat (1936) . Hattie of Gone with the Wind (1939) fame and who famously said she didn't mind playing a maid if she was making 700 dollars a week. So goes the  class warfare in once and still-segregated Tinseltown.

Oscar Hammerstein was involved in Show Boat somehow and was also involved with the dance that Daisy performs in the movie. And, of course, we all know where Daisy comes from. At least us historical literary intelligentsia types who either read The Great Gatsby or saw the movie. So now you have all the essential trivia that I bothered to dig up, some of it actually on my own.

Oh, and also, that really is Cate Blanchett on the hospital bed in makeup. She happens to share the same birthday as Linda which was yesterday which is when I meant to click Send. Happy Birthday, Linda!