You were wrong. You were so horribly wrong. Please, for my sake, drag your humourless ass back into the movie theatre and seriously reconsider your statements. Not funny? The entire concept of the movie is ludicrous to start with and the fact that they try to play it off as a drama is comedic gold. The best part - get this - the movie got nominated for 13 frickin' Oscars. People are actually accepting that it's sad and dramatic.
Though, to be fair, I can see where you went so wrong. The movie is actually very well done (Although at parts it felt like I was watching Forrest Gump... which was really weird because I haven't seen Forrest Gump). The writers clearly meant it to be a drama, to tug at heartstrings, to be the sort of film that makes you ponder about what you have and then makes you curl up in bed with it clinging on and savoring every bit. And yeah, it does pull that off. I don't think it's funny because it was poorly made, it's a good movie. I think it's funny because it's hilarious, from a grander scale Benjamin Button is a savagely and relentlessly funny movie and I'm a little disappointed that no one I've talked to about it agrees with me.
Maybe it's just because I've read the book, which is unquestionably a comedy. "Here is a man, a man who'll lead a life just like how everyone else leads lives. Except he happens to be aging backwards... sucks for him doesn't it? Let's see what sort of shenanigans he gets into." That basically sums up the book. But the movie and novel are completely different (In the book ol' Benjamin hangs out with his grandkids while his son looks after him).
I think that probably, more than anything, you're sense of humour just isn't right to properly find the funny side of this movie. Actually, it's probably mine that isn't right. I devoured comedy when I was younger... comedy that young people probably shouldn't see (or maybe they should?). PS - If you're ever thinking of sending me a Python skit via the interweb and youtube, please don't. Ten to one odds I've had it memorized verbatim since I was 12.
Sometimes I worry that my sense of humour is spiraling downwards into obscurity and hopelessness. Some of the things I find funny now most people would be appalled by (and I don't mean dead baby or Helen Keller jokes or stupid shit like that). I think that the second half of Full Metal Jacket is funnier than the first. I giggled like a fool through parts of A Clockwork Orange. I'm even starting to understand the funny side of Burroughs. I guess, mostly, I like my humour to be horrific, disgusting... something that shouldn't be laughed at. That's why stuff like Catch-22 and Dr. Strangelove are so brilliant... because they're so dirty. I like to laugh at things that any normal person would stash away in the hood of their car, drive out to the nearest pier, tie a rock to and sink to the bottom of the ocean. I also think that Schindler's List would be a good musical (I've also never seen Schindlers List but everything is better when it's a musical).
Making light of something, in alot of cases, reduces the overwhelming brevity of it, takes away something sinister about it (Case point: Mel Brooks' The Producers). I find it so much funnier (and talented) when something can be laughed at but it doesn't lose that sinisterness, that dark overtone coupled with thoughts of "I'm a horrible person for laughing at this but it's so damn funny"
So get back into the theatre and try to see the funny side of Benjamin Button, like I do... and if your mind just simply won't let you laugh at it... that's okay, I'll just use the Ludivico Technique on you.
Also: I mentioned Stanely Kubrick 4 times in this post. HES FRICKIN GOOD OKAY YOU GUYS! I need to read/watch Lolita.
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