BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is the Academy Awards heavyweight with 13 nominations.
An epic romance that earned a best-actor nomination for Brad Pitt and a directing spot for David Fincher, “Benjamin Button” was joined in the best-picture category Thursday by the Richard Nixon tale “Frost/Nixon,” the chronicle of gay-rights leader Harvey Milk in “Milk,” the Holocaust-themed drama “The Reader,” and the rags-to-riches crowd-pleaser “Slumdog Millionaire.”
As expected, Heath Ledger, co-star in the Batman blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” earned a supporting-actor nomination on the one-year anniversary of his death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
Josh Brolin, competing against Ledger with a supporting-actor nomination for “Milk,” said the acclaim for Ledger was bittersweet.
“The Dark Knight” picked up seven other nominations for technical achievement, among them cinematography and visual effects.
“Benjamin Button” leads a bold batch of best-picture candidates, among them Golden Globes champ “Slumdog Millionaire,” which came in second at the Oscars with 10 nominations.
Based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story, “Benjamin Button” stars Pitt as a man aging backward toward infancy, caught in a tragic romance with the love of his life (Cate Blanchett) as she ages normally.
Pitt’s romantic partner, Angelina Jolie, has a best-actress nomination for the missing-child drama “Changeling.” The honors for “Benjamin Button” include a best supporting actress nomination for Taraji P. Henson.
Shot on a modest $14 million budget, “Slumdog Millionaire” tells the tale of a street orphan in Mumbai whose pursuit of love carries him to triumph on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The film’s Oscar categories include best director for Danny Boyle and best adapted screenplay for Simon Beaufoy.
