Brad Pitt’s new “Benjamin Button” movie is in the same “idiot savant as genius” genre as the ridiculous and ridicule-worthy “Forrest Gump” before it — but is that plot association a little too cute and way too similar to be a coincidence?  Here’s a hilarious video comparison for your discerning mind:

UPDATE:  The video was removed!  Too close a comparison for comfort, I guess.  Since there’s no such thing as a coincidence, I think the video’s removal expresses the remorse of those that did the imitating. 


If you’ve seen both movies, what do you think?

Are Benjamin and Forrest the same lucky idiots when it comes to storyline and plot construction?

If so, does Benjamin deserve 13 Oscar nominations?

Is Hollywood that flakey and foolish to have such a short memory where 15 years between movies is a lifetime?

4 Comments

  1. Curiously, knowing nothing else about the film other than the reverse aging thing, I thought immediately to the episode of Mork & Mindy where it was revealed that aliens from Ork age in reverse.

  2. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    I remember that, too, Gordon! How funny that Benjamin’s “hook” has so many fathers!

  3. Hi David,
    It seems to be a “feel good” movie with some drama added…if that is the benchmark of a storyline for getting an Oscar – then this pattern will be repeated many a times in near future.

  4. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    It is a common pattern, Katha, but the “stealing” seems a little too convenient for me to abide. If “Button” wins a lot, then all creatives are in trouble!

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