Monday, January 26, 2009 7:03:01 PM
I would just like to point out that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the 1920's, so no... the film was not a rip-off of Gump.
Although they share similar plots, there are two resounding differences. The obvious being that Benjamin is born OLD. "I was born under unusual circumstances." The other being that his story is told in a way that is perfectly normal, which contrasts his abnormal life; which I am sure, is the point.
Gump is spiced up with the meeting of many famous individuals, making his life seem thrilling.
I really adore both movies, and I do see a lot of similarities, but that does not make either one a rip off of the other.
If you have not seen TCCOBB yet, I suggest you do. It was one of my movie highlights of 2008.
I love both movies, but seriously, before somenne goes slamming a film or novel, at least ATTEMPT to know what you are talking about.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009 1:42:43 AM
Forrest Gump isn't a rip off of Benjamin Button. Eric Roth purposely combined the plot of the short story with the narrative elements of the film. Self-plagiarism, i guess, but I don`t see why he shouldn`t have a right to that. Another interesting similarity: Forrest Gump uses a feather as a metaphor to its themes. Benjamin Button uses a similar object for its purpose: a hummingbird.