Curious Case of the Buttons (Benjamin that is....)

There is something wrong with this film. The acting is fine (and in some instances great), the cinematography is pretty and appropriate, the visual effects and make up are impressive, the writing is witty and intelligent, but the film lacks a true purpose or heart. Yes it is sad, but I did not feel for the characters, the story is largely predictable and thus watered down any empathy I should have felt. I am not really sure what purpose the film was hoping to achieve. I suspect it was trying to be profound, but how many times can you say "Live your life to the full and don't waste a second" without it becoming pretentious. There are certainly some longer than necessary sequences making for an overly long running time with little need for it and much of the film could be called preachy. Despite all this the film is tipped as oscar material for best picture, I am not saying it shouldn't win, but there are certainly issues that prevented this from being the best it could have been.