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March 13, 2010
Review - " Remember Me " - (in theaters) By Roland Hansen
For comments or to submit a movie review for possible inclusion on Delta Films site
please send an email to Critics@deltafilms.net
please send an email to Critics@deltafilms.net
Remember Me
Starring Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin and Ruby Jerins
Directed by Allen Coulter
Some critics claim they never have any preconceptions when they watch movies to
review. These critics do of course lie. Everybody has preconceptions - about
movies and other things. And when it comes to movies, the "deep, serious" critics
usually have more preconceptions than the rest of us who can watch action and
horror and a serious arthouse drama without complaining.
I didn't really expect much from Remember Me, a movie promoted as a new
romantic drama starring Robert Pattinson from the Twilight movies. I hadn't read
the plotline for this movie, so I entered the theater expecting a watered-down teen
romance.
Remember me opens with a woman and her little daughter waiting for a train in the
New York subway. Two muggers show up, things go from bad to worse and the
woman is shot dead in front of the little girl. The woman's husband arrives to the
crime scene - it turns out he's a cop.
Starring Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin and Ruby Jerins
Directed by Allen Coulter
Some critics claim they never have any preconceptions when they watch movies to
review. These critics do of course lie. Everybody has preconceptions - about
movies and other things. And when it comes to movies, the "deep, serious" critics
usually have more preconceptions than the rest of us who can watch action and
horror and a serious arthouse drama without complaining.
I didn't really expect much from Remember Me, a movie promoted as a new
romantic drama starring Robert Pattinson from the Twilight movies. I hadn't read
the plotline for this movie, so I entered the theater expecting a watered-down teen
romance.
Remember me opens with a woman and her little daughter waiting for a train in the
New York subway. Two muggers show up, things go from bad to worse and the
woman is shot dead in front of the little girl. The woman's husband arrives to the
crime scene - it turns out he's a cop.
Ten years later. Robert Pattinson is the poetry quoting, good-for-nothing Tyler Hawkins, who along with a "crazy" roommate
inhabit a shabby New York City apartment. Tyler is facing a broken family of divorce brought on by the suicide of his older
brother, at odds with his estranged father, Charles (Pierce Brosnan). A testy guy with anger issues, Tyler finds himself
butting up against Sgt. Neil Craig (Chris Cooper) after an alley fistfight, which leaves the brawler with a few bruises and a
wounded ego. At the urging of his nitwit roommate (a deplorably obnoxious Tate Ellington), Tyler resolves to seduce Neil’s
daughter Ally (Emilie de Ravin) as an act of retribution. Finding a common ground of personal tragedy after Ally reveals
the horror of witnessing her mother’s murder a decade earlier, the two develop a relationship, which frustrates Neil and
positions Tyler into a precarious state of vulnerability.
Tyler does of course fall in love with Alyssa for real, and their relationship leads to them trying to repair their families and
themselves. Tyler didnt think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally (Emilie
de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and
inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. Soon, hidden
secrets are revealed, tragedy lingers in the air, as the circumstances that brought them together threaten to tear them
apart.
Remember Me is far from a teen drama. Sure, Robert Pattinson, who has an unusually failed hairdo, appears in almost
every scene; he does some kind of a James Dean impersonation and the thought is that young girls shall drool all over him
- unless the movie gets a higher rating in certain countries because of foul language and frequent use of tobacco.
Experienced TV director Allen Coulter's (who's only previous feature film is the very good Hollywoodland) movie is rather a
straight, adult drama, and a comparatively strong one. I was surprised.
Robert Pattinson play the same brooding teen he plays in Twilight (but without the fangs), he's actually pretty decent in this
movie; he doesn't make a fool out of himself.
But the movie's strength is the other robust,
well-established actors. It's also nice that the
movie was shot on location in New York City.
The story tends to aim too high towards the
ending; when it's time for everybody involved
to become 'Better Human Beings'. It all ends
with an assuredly unexpected twist (which
I won't give away here). The ending quite
blew me away. I must confess I was bored
through most of the movie but as a whole, I
surprise myself by claiming Remember Me is
a pretty good movie. See it especially for
Brosnan and Cooper's sake.
Set in the summer of 2001, Remember Me
is an unforgettable story about the power of
love, the strength of family, and the
importance of living passionately and
treasuring every day of ones life.
inhabit a shabby New York City apartment. Tyler is facing a broken family of divorce brought on by the suicide of his older
brother, at odds with his estranged father, Charles (Pierce Brosnan). A testy guy with anger issues, Tyler finds himself
butting up against Sgt. Neil Craig (Chris Cooper) after an alley fistfight, which leaves the brawler with a few bruises and a
wounded ego. At the urging of his nitwit roommate (a deplorably obnoxious Tate Ellington), Tyler resolves to seduce Neil’s
daughter Ally (Emilie de Ravin) as an act of retribution. Finding a common ground of personal tragedy after Ally reveals
the horror of witnessing her mother’s murder a decade earlier, the two develop a relationship, which frustrates Neil and
positions Tyler into a precarious state of vulnerability.
Tyler does of course fall in love with Alyssa for real, and their relationship leads to them trying to repair their families and
themselves. Tyler didnt think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally (Emilie
de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and
inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. Soon, hidden
secrets are revealed, tragedy lingers in the air, as the circumstances that brought them together threaten to tear them
apart.
Remember Me is far from a teen drama. Sure, Robert Pattinson, who has an unusually failed hairdo, appears in almost
every scene; he does some kind of a James Dean impersonation and the thought is that young girls shall drool all over him
- unless the movie gets a higher rating in certain countries because of foul language and frequent use of tobacco.
Experienced TV director Allen Coulter's (who's only previous feature film is the very good Hollywoodland) movie is rather a
straight, adult drama, and a comparatively strong one. I was surprised.
Robert Pattinson play the same brooding teen he plays in Twilight (but without the fangs), he's actually pretty decent in this
movie; he doesn't make a fool out of himself.
But the movie's strength is the other robust,
well-established actors. It's also nice that the
movie was shot on location in New York City.
The story tends to aim too high towards the
ending; when it's time for everybody involved
to become 'Better Human Beings'. It all ends
with an assuredly unexpected twist (which
I won't give away here). The ending quite
blew me away. I must confess I was bored
through most of the movie but as a whole, I
surprise myself by claiming Remember Me is
a pretty good movie. See it especially for
Brosnan and Cooper's sake.
Set in the summer of 2001, Remember Me
is an unforgettable story about the power of
love, the strength of family, and the
importance of living passionately and
treasuring every day of ones life.