Despite periodically grinding to a halt or playing a bit too much like a magical realism-infused variation of Forrest Gump—absolutely no surprise the films share a screenwriter—there's plenty that works. First and foremost, it's just very productive to think with, not only about the age of time, so ingrained in every single frame of the film, but also about the related experiences of bodies, aging, and mortality. Nothing profound, but certainly nutritious—it's interesting to see how much life is different for Button as he ages in reverse, but even more remarkable are the ways it doesn't. His solitude may be greater, given that his experience of human existence is unlike that of anyone he knows, but in substance it's really no different than any of the other one-of-a-kind humans he encounters, each charting a solitary yet fundamentally meaningful path in life. Yeah it's hokey, but seeing an elderly Elizabeth Abbot finally swim across the sea hits me right in my (increasingly liquefied?) heart. Beyond these gentle thematic currents, it's also sustained by some really breathtaking images, chief among them the tugboat ing through an icy fog and Cate Blanchett stretching on a rooftop. Good!