Plot
The movie was disappointingly different from the story. The entire plot is wrong besides Benjamin's reverse aging. In the movie, the events are drawn out so that the viewer can see every part of Benjamin's life and get a better sense of who he is and how certain events have affected him. The reversal of his aging issue puts a new spin on the story by making him more conscious of his reversed aging. Hildegarde has a problem with Benjamin getting younger in the story, but here it is Benjamin who sees a problem although he has a child in both cases. That reversal makes Benjamin a more believable character because he is concerned about raising his daughter the way any father would be. Personally, I hate it when movies differ from the storyline presented in the book, but the differences in plot here gives the movie more substance and made it more entertaining than the story.
Point of View
The movie has a few different points of view. Caroline reads the story, but it's Benjamin's story, so it's a first person point of view. Caroline serves the same purpose that Tim O'Brien's daughter served in The Things They Carried. They both clarify and interpret information for the audience so that the story is more credible. The fact that the story is Benjamin's first-hand account makes him more real to the audience and evokes feelings of empathy. When Daisy takes over the story, it is as if Benjamin's story continues, but the helplessness which grows in him becomes apparent because he can no longer tell his own story. The first-person account of the movie is much more appealing than the story because hearing a story first-hand is more reliable and more exciting.
Characterization
Benjamin is indirectly characterized, but he is also directly characterized. He has many relationships throughout the movie, but the most important ones are those with Queenie, Daisy and his father. Benjamin's relationship with Queenie makes him look like an obedient son who just wants to please his mother and occasionally messes up. This relationship is endearing, and it makes the audience start to like Benjamin. His relationship with Daisy characterizes him as caring but also as a typical guy. He makes mistakes, but everyone does that. What truly matters to her is that he cares. Benjamin's relationship with his father characterizes him as forgiving and understanding. His father reveals his identity, and Benjamin accepts him even though he has a right to be angry. Each of these qualities is endearing and provides plenty of character for Benjamin, but he also characterizes himself and directly tells us that he doesn't mind being different. All of this evidence makes Benjamin seem like a real, complex person who could really exist.
Setting
The movie is set several years later than the story, and that brings new conflicts like WWII into the picture. Really nothing about the setting is the same between the story and the movie, so everything except the most basic plot line is different. The Louisiana location makes me think of the Creole culture in New Orleans and the popularity of cultural practices and "hocus pocus," for lack of a better term. That makes Benjamin's condition seem more reasonable, as does the clock that ticks backwards. The primary reason for the change in setting is to create more conflict in Benjamin's life because that's just more interesting. He wouldn't have conflicts with women the way that he does if the movie was set in the late 1800s like the story is.
Theme
There are multiple major themes in the movie. Queenie presents the idea that being different is okay. Benjamin frequently tells people when he's only a few years old that he's different, but he knows it's not a bad thing because Queenie makes sure he knows that. Benjamin presents the strongest theme which is the idea that nothing lasts forever. He watches so many people come and go in the nursing home, and every single one of his relationships ends at some point. He knows that every aspect of his life will change or fade, so he makes the most of it while he can.
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