Scroll down for the video comparison…I’ve recieved a lot of crap (especially on YouTube) for suggesting that “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” had a lot of similarities both thematically and plot-wise to “Forrest Gump.” I have to tell you that I’d a bad feeling ever since I saw the preview. My friend Katie saw the film before I did, and when I asked her what she thought about it, she didn’t want to spoil it for me, but she said that the whole movie reminded her of another film. With much trepidation, I said “Please don’t say ‘Forrest Gump.'”My on-camera review (in which I am still worked up about being so disappointed in the film) is here and several people have agreed with me so I know I’m not crazy. The “Mayor of Television” David Kronke has posted his comparison of the two movies here, but this post from Maidenhead is the most in-depth and funny comparison I’ve seen:
Name that film:
A white man is born fatherless in the south with birth defects that lead many to think he may never walk nor live a normal life. His saintly mother believes in his potential anyway. At a young age, the man learns to walk and sheds his exoskeleton of locomotive aids. Around this time, he also meets the love of his life, a vivacious girl who grows into a bold woman who parts ways with the man to have her own wild adventures. Meanwhile, the man reaches adulthood, and puts in a wartime stint in the U.S. military. During this stint, the man proves at first an indifferent asset, but during his one firefight, he turns out to be very valuable, saving the day singlehandedly, while also witnessing the death of one of his best friends. The man also spends much time on a small ocean vessel, serving alongside a rowdy, grizzled, hard-drinking man of the sea. This salty sailor serves as one of our man’s two best male friends; the other is a black man who first teaches our man the lessons of friendship before departing forever.
Our man wanders all around the world, his life brushing up against key historical moments of the 20th century. At some point he returns to his childhood home, and his mother dies. The man comes into considerable wealth through blind luck. Around this time, his lifelong love returns from her adventures, ready to commit to him. During their brief time together, they conceive a child. The couple part ways, due to the woman’s perceived inability to take care of the man. He does not raise the child through its early years but later makes an appearance in its life. The woman eventually dies in bed from illness. The man’s later years are hardly touched on, even though the movie has lavished much attention on his early and middle years.
The entire story dwells repeatedly on the theme of life’s uncertainty and, in contrast, on the notion of fate or coincidence. The film’s symbol for these themes is a small object seen hovering improbably in the air. A narrative frame scene punctuates the story, as does the main character’s drawling voice-over.
Acceptable Answers:
Forrest Gump; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.*
* Both movies were written by Eric Roth, a man who now owes me seventeen dollars.
…and then there’s this:
From Reuters: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” got a little stranger Friday [Jan. 30] after an attorney representing an Italian office worker filed legal papers alleging that the screenplay was based on a story she wrote in 1994.The David Fincher film, nominated for 13 Oscars, features Brad Pitt in the role of Benjamin Button, a man who ages backward. It was inspired by — but not based on — a 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Adriana Pichini, a Roman office worker, said the film seems to be based on a story she wrote 15 years ago called “Il ritorno di Arthur all’innocenza” (Arthur’s Return to Innocence). The story was officially registered with the proper Italian copyright authorities in 1994 and even sent to publishers in the U.S., but was never published.
According to Gianni Massaro, Pichini’s lawyer, a file was opened with the Rome Tribunal Court, which means a judge will watch the film and read the story. If the judge determines there are enough similarities to warrant an investigation, the court will launch one.
Massaro, a fixture in the Italian cinema industry and a former president of the Italian audiovisual association ANICA, said in an interview that he is not sure if Pichini will seek financial damages against Fincher, screenwriter Eric Roth and the film’s producers.
“At this point it’s still a matter of principle,” Massaro said. “What happens next will depend on what the judge rules.”
No timetable has been set for the judge’s viewing. The rest of Italy will be able to see the film when it goes into nationwide release February 13.
Eric is the Editor-in-Chief of Scene-Stealers.com, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and contributor for The Pitch. He’s former President of the KCFCC, and drummer for The Dead Girls, Ultimate Fakebook, and Truck Stop Love . He is also the 2013 Air Guitar World Champion Mean Melin, ranked 4th best of all-time. Eric goes to 11. Follow him at:
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I have to agree with you. The parallels are obvious, and rarely subtle. I remember walking out of that screening and remarking on how much Button felt like a meloncholy Gump. Now, I don’t have your level of disdain for Gump (and I was very mixed about this curious case of deja vu) but I was pretty sure what your reaction would be.
I have to agree with you. The parallels are obvious, and rarely subtle. I remember walking out of that screening and remarking on how much Button felt like a meloncholy Gump. Now, I don’t have your level of disdain for Gump (and I was very mixed about this curious case of deja vu) but I was pretty sure what your reaction would be.
Is that $17 adjusted for inflation? I think the economy was better when “Forrest Gump” was in theaters.
Is that $17 adjusted for inflation? I think the economy was better when “Forrest Gump” was in theaters.
Hahahahahahahahahahaha, got me.
I really loved this movie, though, and not even in spite of these similarities. This is a testament to how similar movies can be while still seeming totally different. The change of era and the difference in characters and aesthetic made all the difference, I guess.
Hahahahahahahahahahaha, got me.
I really loved this movie, though, and not even in spite of these similarities. This is a testament to how similar movies can be while still seeming totally different. The change of era and the difference in characters and aesthetic made all the difference, I guess.
Both Forrest and Benjamin’s love interest share a line intended to add a bit of humor to the proceedings, “I got to pee”.
Both Forrest and Benjamin’s love interest share a line intended to add a bit of humor to the proceedings, “I got to pee”.
per-fect!
per-fect!
We wouldn’t get very far in movies, if films did not imitate other films. Though, that’s not the case here. CCBB, as mentioned, follows Gump to a tee. Yet, I can’t bash the movie for doing so. I think it still has value to it.
We wouldn’t get very far in movies, if films did not imitate other films. Though, that’s not the case here. CCBB, as mentioned, follows Gump to a tee. Yet, I can’t bash the movie for doing so. I think it still has value to it.
Not to mention both mothers’ catch phrases…
Not to mention both mothers’ catch phrases…
I started working up my own button/gump comparison but never got around to finishing it. I’m glad someone finally put in the work, because this is to a T hilarious!
I started working up my own button/gump comparison but never got around to finishing it. I’m glad someone finally put in the work, because this is to a T hilarious!
the man writes several letters to the woman while he is in the war.
the man writes several letters to the woman while he is in the war.
Some of those parallels do not apply to Benjamin Button, though.
And I would like to point out that CCBB was written 60 years prior to FG. (They were both literature before the reached Hollywood.)
Some of those parallels do not apply to Benjamin Button, though.
And I would like to point out that CCBB was written 60 years prior to FG. (They were both literature before the reached Hollywood.)
I hadn’t paid any attention to the media coverage of Benjamin Button over the last few weeks, but I drove my wife batty this weekend as we sat through it. When the preacher got him to stand up from his wheelchair, I leaned over and whispered, “Run, Forrest, run!’ When Queeny said, “You never know what life’s gonna bring you,” I whispered, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” And when Benjamin watched Daisy get into the taxi in New York, I whispered, “Maybe you need to go home to GREENBOW, ALABAMA!” Etc., etc.
At some of these moments, I imagine Eric Roth must have been unconsciously re-writing his earlier work. Someone should have tracked the two screenplays to make sure BB wasn’t following FG so closely.
I hadn’t paid any attention to the media coverage of Benjamin Button over the last few weeks, but I drove my wife batty this weekend as we sat through it. When the preacher got him to stand up from his wheelchair, I leaned over and whispered, “Run, Forrest, run!’ When Queeny said, “You never know what life’s gonna bring you,” I whispered, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” And when Benjamin watched Daisy get into the taxi in New York, I whispered, “Maybe you need to go home to GREENBOW, ALABAMA!” Etc., etc.
At some of these moments, I imagine Eric Roth must have been unconsciously re-writing his earlier work. Someone should have tracked the two screenplays to make sure BB wasn’t following FG so closely.
seriously right?!?!?
Benj Butt was an ok movie but i liked it better the first time.
seriously right?!?!?
Benj Butt was an ok movie but i liked it better the first time.
Was wondering if someone else shared my sentiments. This movie was like Forrest Gump 2: Verbatim. By the time he returned home from war to rekindle his lost love with his childhood friend I said “that’s it. Saw it the first time …”
Was wondering if someone else shared my sentiments. This movie was like Forrest Gump 2: Verbatim. By the time he returned home from war to rekindle his lost love with his childhood friend I said “that’s it. Saw it the first time …”
Megan: you said: “And I would like to point out that CCBB was written 60 years prior to FG. (They were both literature before the reached Hollywood.)”
True, but have you read the Fitzgerald short story? I have, and none of the common elements found in “Gump” and in “Button” are found in Fitzgerald’s tale, only the backwards-aging plot. Eric Roth took the basic premise from Fitzgerald’s story, then used it as a skeleton over which his own “Gump” story was superimposed.
Hey, at least Roth simply stole from himself. Mystery writer par excellance Raymond Chandler described such “self-stealing” as “Cannibalizing.”
Megan: you said: “And I would like to point out that CCBB was written 60 years prior to FG. (They were both literature before the reached Hollywood.)”
True, but have you read the Fitzgerald short story? I have, and none of the common elements found in “Gump” and in “Button” are found in Fitzgerald’s tale, only the backwards-aging plot. Eric Roth took the basic premise from Fitzgerald’s story, then used it as a skeleton over which his own “Gump” story was superimposed.
Hey, at least Roth simply stole from himself. Mystery writer par excellance Raymond Chandler described such “self-stealing” as “Cannibalizing.”
I’m laughing at jonfromcali because I was thinking some of the same things.
I am not the kind of person who ever tries to figure movies out or see through the dialouge for the deeper meaning, etc. etc. I like to just sit back and be entertained, so when I immediately started seeing the paralells to Forrest Gump, then they had to be smack dab obvious.
I did enjoy the movie for its entertainment value (and that it was filmed in New Orleans, my hometown). I am glad to find out it was the same writer so that it wasn’t an outright copycat. If you read DaVinci Code & Angels and Demons they were the same plot too, just different setting. Expect the same with the movies.
I’m laughing at jonfromcali because I was thinking some of the same things.
I am not the kind of person who ever tries to figure movies out or see through the dialouge for the deeper meaning, etc. etc. I like to just sit back and be entertained, so when I immediately started seeing the paralells to Forrest Gump, then they had to be smack dab obvious.
I did enjoy the movie for its entertainment value (and that it was filmed in New Orleans, my hometown). I am glad to find out it was the same writer so that it wasn’t an outright copycat. If you read DaVinci Code & Angels and Demons they were the same plot too, just different setting. Expect the same with the movies.
The video is great!
“If you see only one version of Forrest Gump this year, make it The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
The video is great!
“If you see only one version of Forrest Gump this year, make it The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
I saw this movie last night and it was pretty obvious. Don’t forget the child that the main character doesn’t meet until later in life.
I saw this movie last night and it was pretty obvious. Don’t forget the child that the main character doesn’t meet until later in life.
mer-lott – I too thought the same jokes as jonfromcali.
Don’t forget that National treasure is the same movie as Da Vinci Code, too, just set in America
mer-lott – I too thought the same jokes as jonfromcali.
Don’t forget that National treasure is the same movie as Da Vinci Code, too, just set in America
“Don’t forget that National treasure is the same movie as Da Vinci Code, too, just set in America”
Hey, don’t you knock National Treasure!
Sorry Daaave, but although there are similarities in style, genre, and story I wouldn’t say they are close the same movie (and nowhere close to the similarities in Button and Gump).
National Treasure is quite a lot of fun and Ron Howard’s disaster is hard to watch. Does NT steal a bit from the Da Vinci book (Treasure beat Da Vinci to the screen by 2 years, remember), you can easily make that argument, but it’s not like Dan Brown invented that clue-gathering search for treasure adventure style of storytelling.
“Don’t forget that National treasure is the same movie as Da Vinci Code, too, just set in America”
Hey, don’t you knock National Treasure!
Sorry Daaave, but although there are similarities in style, genre, and story I wouldn’t say they are close the same movie (and nowhere close to the similarities in Button and Gump).
National Treasure is quite a lot of fun and Ron Howard’s disaster is hard to watch. Does NT steal a bit from the Da Vinci book (Treasure beat Da Vinci to the screen by 2 years, remember), you can easily make that argument, but it’s not like Dan Brown invented that clue-gathering search for treasure adventure style of storytelling.
Lol…good one!
This goes way past ‘Clueless’ being a version of ‘Emma’…..
Lol…good one!
This goes way past ‘Clueless’ being a version of ‘Emma’…..
Thanks for the warning; might’ve been tempted to see Button, but if it’s anything like Gump…brrrrr!
Pauline Kael, the late great movie critic, was asked, well, don’t you think Gump is at least a good date movie? Her answer: “I can’t imagine having a relationship with anyone who’d like Forrest Gump!”
Thanks for the warning; might’ve been tempted to see Button, but if it’s anything like Gump…brrrrr!
Pauline Kael, the late great movie critic, was asked, well, don’t you think Gump is at least a good date movie? Her answer: “I can’t imagine having a relationship with anyone who’d like Forrest Gump!”
Yes similarities are endless, but one has to ask, since Benjamin Button was based on a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Forrest Gump was based on a novel by Winston Groom – would you argue that Mr. Groom owes some royalties to the Fitzgerald estate?
Yes similarities are endless, but one has to ask, since Benjamin Button was based on a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Forrest Gump was based on a novel by Winston Groom – would you argue that Mr. Groom owes some royalties to the Fitzgerald estate?
Nope, he doesn’t. Because the similarities were mostly additions by Mr. Roth. The short story doesn’t take place in the South, Benjamin has a father (and a grandfather even!), he never goes on a ship, his woman comes in far later and doesn’t weave in and out of the story, he actually works at his father’s hardware business and is quite good at it, and the list goes on…
Nope, he doesn’t. Because the similarities were mostly additions by Mr. Roth. The short story doesn’t take place in the South, Benjamin has a father (and a grandfather even!), he never goes on a ship, his woman comes in far later and doesn’t weave in and out of the story, he actually works at his father’s hardware business and is quite good at it, and the list goes on…
I think you’re right on target. I was visiting my grandparents at their retirement community in West Palm Beach when I saw it –the first movie I’ve seen in a theater in a long time –and I walked out thinking, “Wow. That must be from the people who did Forest Gump.” For me, the best part of the movie wasn’t the movie at all; it was the reaction of the all the old women in the audience (okay, me too) at that Brad Pitt sailboat shot. “Sweet Je-sus. Maybe George will look like that when I get home.” I thought my friend and I were going to have to bring out the smelling salts for the swooning old ladies.
For me Benji Button was disappointing because I’m always disappointed when I see these Hollywood formulas and realize that the execs do it because audiences and critics fall for it. Eech.
I think you’re right on target. I was visiting my grandparents at their retirement community in West Palm Beach when I saw it –the first movie I’ve seen in a theater in a long time –and I walked out thinking, “Wow. That must be from the people who did Forest Gump.” For me, the best part of the movie wasn’t the movie at all; it was the reaction of the all the old women in the audience (okay, me too) at that Brad Pitt sailboat shot. “Sweet Je-sus. Maybe George will look like that when I get home.” I thought my friend and I were going to have to bring out the smelling salts for the swooning old ladies.
For me Benji Button was disappointing because I’m always disappointed when I see these Hollywood formulas and realize that the execs do it because audiences and critics fall for it. Eech.
“Are you sick or something?” leading to “Are you stupid or something?” Brilliant! Laughed my ass off :p Great video though! I’m now sending it to my friend who thought I was crazy for comparing the two movies. I think you’ve done a better job juxtaposing the two than I–or anyone else for that matter–could ever do. (oh yeah, and the poster at the end was amazing)
“Are you sick or something?” leading to “Are you stupid or something?” Brilliant! Laughed my ass off :p Great video though! I’m now sending it to my friend who thought I was crazy for comparing the two movies. I think you’ve done a better job juxtaposing the two than I–or anyone else for that matter–could ever do. (oh yeah, and the poster at the end was amazing)
I would have to agree as well. A lot of people are starting to talk about it more too:
http://screen.ology.com/2009/01/23/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-gump/
I would have to agree as well. A lot of people are starting to talk about it more too:
http://screen.ology.com/2009/01/23/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-gump/
He shouldn’t recycle his ideas. It was fresh the first time, but the second time… unh. And article was posted abut it in the toronto star. Same old, same old. Real original, Eric, mon chere.
He shouldn’t recycle his ideas. It was fresh the first time, but the second time… unh. And article was posted abut it in the toronto star. Same old, same old. Real original, Eric, mon chere.
“The Guardian” is the same movie as “An Officer and a Gentleman”.
“The Guardian” is the same movie as “An Officer and a Gentleman”.
Well, it is the true. Bnejamin and Forest are very similar and its seem like we love that. The formula is the same and is so good, so its have very similares results.
Well, it is the true. Bnejamin and Forest are very similar and its seem like we love that. The formula is the same and is so good, so its have very similares results.
Award for special effects would be one earned reward. Beyond that, too bad Pitt, Fincher, etc., took slots that would have been better placed with other actor’s and films.
Award for special effects would be one earned reward. Beyond that, too bad Pitt, Fincher, etc., took slots that would have been better placed with other actor’s and films.
I watched this movie yesterday with my girlfriend.
I did not have any infos about the plot or anything else.
After 30 minutes I thought “Man this movie is like Forrest Gump” and my girlfriend had the same thoughts.
There is only one difference:
FG is a lot better than this movie! It covers the entire US history with a kind of real story.
Missed something like this in the button movie. I will tell everybody not to watch it.
I watched this movie yesterday with my girlfriend.
I did not have any infos about the plot or anything else.
After 30 minutes I thought “Man this movie is like Forrest Gump” and my girlfriend had the same thoughts.
There is only one difference:
FG is a lot better than this movie! It covers the entire US history with a kind of real story.
Missed something like this in the button movie. I will tell everybody not to watch it.
i agree with what was said earlier. im not usually the one who picks up on the more subtle aspects of film, so when i started seeing the pattern of a naive but wellmeaning guy who meets people who would later become world famous, i made the connection to forrest gump.
anyway,after seeing the video that highlighted the other numerous parallels to gump, i agree with the comment that said (paraphrasing)”aside from technical awards, pitt and fincher are taking up award slots” hard to believe the wrestler isnt up for more awards…. typical example of hollywood falling in love with themselves
i agree with what was said earlier. im not usually the one who picks up on the more subtle aspects of film, so when i started seeing the pattern of a naive but wellmeaning guy who meets people who would later become world famous, i made the connection to forrest gump.
anyway,after seeing the video that highlighted the other numerous parallels to gump, i agree with the comment that said (paraphrasing)”aside from technical awards, pitt and fincher are taking up award slots” hard to believe the wrestler isnt up for more awards…. typical example of hollywood falling in love with themselves
I thought when I was in the theater watching it that I was going crazy..I told my wife that it was just like FG and it ruined the movie for her.
I thought when I was in the theater watching it that I was going crazy..I told my wife that it was just like FG and it ruined the movie for her.
This is the most ridiculous thing i have ever read.
This movie is based on an incredible short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I don’t see how it could be like Forrest Gump.
Maybe a few similarities, but this story was written over 85 years ago.
So, maybe Forrest Gump is a lot like Benjamin Button.
-“It’s easy to attack and destroy an act of creation. It’s a lot more difficult to perform one.”
This is the most ridiculous thing i have ever read.
This movie is based on an incredible short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I don’t see how it could be like Forrest Gump.
Maybe a few similarities, but this story was written over 85 years ago.
So, maybe Forrest Gump is a lot like Benjamin Button.
-“It’s easy to attack and destroy an act of creation. It’s a lot more difficult to perform one.”
i totally agree, i whispered that to my friends while we were watching it, they didn’t really agree so i thought i was the only one who noticed. i still enjoyed it though, after fight club, nothing could lower my opinion of david fincher.
i totally agree, i whispered that to my friends while we were watching it, they didn’t really agree so i thought i was the only one who noticed. i still enjoyed it though, after fight club, nothing could lower my opinion of david fincher.
I no longer feel so alone in the world, I am not the only one who thinks Forrest Gump is the worst movie ever, and Benjamin Button was boring and just plain bad. I’m also pretty sick of seeing Kate Winslet’s boobs. I do not recall ever seeing Meryl Streep’s boobs.
I no longer feel so alone in the world, I am not the only one who thinks Forrest Gump is the worst movie ever, and Benjamin Button was boring and just plain bad. I’m also pretty sick of seeing Kate Winslet’s boobs. I do not recall ever seeing Meryl Streep’s boobs.
didn’t merlin age backwards? I know he did in “the once and future king,” but was that something White added to the legend?
didn’t merlin age backwards? I know he did in “the once and future king,” but was that something White added to the legend?
I saw the movie yesterady “/..Benjamin Button”. I did’t know that the screenplayer of this movie and Forest Gump is the same guy but when I was waching the BB I remebered forest gump all the time
I saw the movie yesterady “/..Benjamin Button”. I did’t know that the screenplayer of this movie and Forest Gump is the same guy but when I was waching the BB I remebered forest gump all the time
Benjamin Button based on Fitzgerald’s book? I think not… The book is nothing similar to the movie at all for example the book was 26 pages long and Benjamin Button was raised by his father and worked in the Button factory… In fact Button’s love was short lived, he loved a woman by the name of Hildegarde and when she got old the love was lost… In my opinion this movie should not be called the Curious Case of Benjamin Button… Should be called The Substaintly Similar Movie of Forest Gump
Benjamin Button based on Fitzgerald’s book? I think not… The book is nothing similar to the movie at all for example the book was 26 pages long and Benjamin Button was raised by his father and worked in the Button factory… In fact Button’s love was short lived, he loved a woman by the name of Hildegarde and when she got old the love was lost… In my opinion this movie should not be called the Curious Case of Benjamin Button… Should be called The Substaintly Similar Movie of Forest Gump
also, there is a lot of similar plot lines of ccbb to this movie I just bought called “The Bi-Curious Case of Butt-Jammin’ Ben.” It was a good one
also, there is a lot of similar plot lines of ccbb to this movie I just bought called “The Bi-Curious Case of Butt-Jammin’ Ben.” It was a good one
I didn’t read all things here. I agree, Benjamin Button is a copy of Forrest Gump, a good one. Many parts have been taken from Forrest Gump (copied from it).
Do you remember the Elvis Presley in Forrest Gump? Forrest makes that dance and years later he sees the King on television.
Benjamin Button takes there the old swimmer woman: Years later Benjamin sees here on television.
Seems not easy to me to add this to your short video, but think about it.
You’ve done a great job! Thanks!
I didn’t read all things here. I agree, Benjamin Button is a copy of Forrest Gump, a good one. Many parts have been taken from Forrest Gump (copied from it).
Do you remember the Elvis Presley in Forrest Gump? Forrest makes that dance and years later he sees the King on television.
Benjamin Button takes there the old swimmer woman: Years later Benjamin sees here on television.
Seems not easy to me to add this to your short video, but think about it.
You’ve done a great job! Thanks!
But: Also a few parts of Titanic have been taken. As the old Lady telling the story and so. Well. Good night!
But: Also a few parts of Titanic have been taken. As the old Lady telling the story and so. Well. Good night!
Ehm, maybe frest gump was kinda based on the book “the curious case of benjamin button” by f. scott fitzgerald….perhpas….I don’t know ‘couse i haven’t read it …just saying
Ehm, maybe frest gump was kinda based on the book “the curious case of benjamin button” by f. scott fitzgerald….perhpas….I don’t know ‘couse i haven’t read it …just saying
Ha! Just saw Button and was doing mystery science theater to this one. I was waiting for the life is full of chocolates line … I had to google it and see if anyone else thought this was Forrest Gump revisited – I am not alone!!!!!!!!!!
Ha! Just saw Button and was doing mystery science theater to this one. I was waiting for the life is full of chocolates line … I had to google it and see if anyone else thought this was Forrest Gump revisited – I am not alone!!!!!!!!!!
That’s weird. I didn’t know that Forrest Gump was about a man who is aging backwards, I thought it was about a mentally challenged guy.
That’s weird. I didn’t know that Forrest Gump was about a man who is aging backwards, I thought it was about a mentally challenged guy.
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