The multi-Oscar-nominated film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt, has inspired an online community of detractors. The multi-Oscar-nominated film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt, has inspired an online community of detractors. (Paramount Pictures)

Just as the Super Bowl tends to inspire armchair quarterbacks, the approach of the Academy Awards seems to awaken the know-it-all movie critic inside each of us. But even when we hate a movie, few of us go further than a post-screening diatribe over drinks or the Monday-morning rant by the water cooler.

Vancouver TV producer Jordan Kawchuk has turned his revulsion for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button into one of the Oscar season's quirkiest internet memes.

Vancouver TV producer and director Jordan Kawchuk turned his ardent revulsion for David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button into one of the award season's quirkiest internet memes: the Official Anti-Benjamin Button Club. The site not only collects negative press about the film, but has features with titles like “Proof Benjamin Button Is a Shameless Rip-Off of Forrest Gump” and makes unflattering comparisons between the lead character and people like former U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney.

The former comedy writer talked to CBCNews.ca about how his Button-hate inspired a blog, his theory on why the Academy is gaga over the film, and the ultimate goal of his tongue-in-cheek campaign.

Q: How was the Official Anti-Benjamin Button Club (OABBC) born?

A: [A friend] and I both came in on the same weekend and updated our Facebook statuses with "Just saw Benjamin Button and hope The Wrestler kicks its ass" or something very similar, in the same hour, without knowing that we both saw these two Oscar contenders in one weekend. He said, "You hated Benjamin Button as much as I did?" I said, "It took me so long to get through it; it felt like years taken off my life." He said, "I feel the same way. Let’s do a blog!" So we did.

The hatred towards this movie, it's out there — we have a lot of believers.

Q: What is it about the film that provokes such a virulent reaction in you?

A: It's everything that’s wrong with Hollywood. It's based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and it was never meant to be long. The gall and the arrogance of Hollywood to make it into a three-hour-plus epic – it's just such boring filmmaking. But the truth of the matter is that when we found out it had 13 [Oscar] nominations, we were appalled. We know the Academy [members] are old people as well, so this is like their fantasy: somebody aging backwards. They’re just lapping this up. That’s how I see it.

If you watch the movie, nothing happens for three hours. This is what happens in Benjamin Button: Brad Pitt walks into a room, looks around, doesn't engage with anybody, leaves the room and you repeat that about 20 times. It's really, really, really that bad.

Q: Have you done anything like this before? Are you a regular blogger?

A: This is my first blog and it's been really rewarding. I've always talked movies with friends at pubs, but this one seemed to really hit a nerve. We wanted to take it further, but we are running out of time. We wanted to make physical anti-Button buttons and our goal was actually to see people wearing them on the red carpet. That was maybe a little ambitious.

A sample of the humour on the \A sample of the humour on the "official" anti-Benjamin Button website. (Official Anti-Benjamin Button Club)

Q: Aside from social networking sites, quite a few blogs and traditional media outlets have pointed readers to the OABBC What kind of reaction have you gotten?

A: We get a lot of support, with people agreeing that the movie's a turd. What really spiked our site was the fact that people like Jon Stewart and The Daily Show began to snore every time they mentioned the movie’s name. LaineyGossip.com was a big one for us. As soon as she picked us up, we had hundreds and hundreds of more people. There have been other popular bloggers, like HeyWriterBoy, who says we’re doing the Lord's work.

But then we have some angry people that say, "How dare you pick on Benjamin Button. He’s done nothing to hurt you." They actually treat Benjamin Button like he's a real person. I guess there's some sort of sympathy you can have for a boring man aging backwards. I keep having to remind them that he's a fictional character.

Q: Any comment from Hollywood, the studio or the filmmakers?

A: There's been rumours that people closer to the movie have seen it and are offended – or some are amused – but we haven't had direct contact. I don’t think they’re reaching out to us.

We do have some friends in Hollywood that are helping spread the word and it’s going quite far, so there’s got to be somebody close to the [Benjamin Button] camp that knows this is out there.

Q: How will this end for you?

A: I'll probably be watching [the Oscars] with the guy I do the website with. You know what? If we’re really smart, we’re going to stream us watching the Oscars, on our site. We’ll definitely be live blogging. We’re not just going to rest on our laurels.

Our ultimate goal is to influence the Academy and the voters and the watchers of the Oscars to realize that [The Curious Case of Benjamin Button] is awful. We will feel that we succeed if – like Gangs of New York a few years ago, which was nominated for 11 or 13 [and] won nothing. If [Benjamin Button] wins nothing, we’ve done our job.

No, no, that’s a silly answer. You know what? The real answer is that we're just having a blast doing it.

Q: But what happens if Benjamin Button wins an Oscar on Feb. 22?

A: We're totally OK if it wins special effects or costumes, because those are quite remarkable. If it gets to acting or best picture, I don't know what I’ll do. I think I'll just have to question life.

The Academy Awards will be presented in Los Angeles on Feb. 22.

Jessica Wong is a news writer for CBCNews.ca.