Remember Me 2010

LISE’s VIEW …

This spring’s non-Twilight Rob Pattinson film Remember Me will be most memorable because of what it could have been.

Some people might feel sadness, nostalgia, loss because of the, as some have called it, “powerful” ending. What they should be feeling is puzzlement. Where was the first half of the movie? The second half is, indeed, strong, gut-wrenching and poignant. The first half is disjoint, choppy and abstruse.

Perhaps it is one of those movies that once you’ve seen the ending, you must go back and re-watch the movie to “get it.” The first scenes through the [groan, predictable] sex scene do gel in one’s mind better on second viewing.

But should a movie require being watched twice for understanding? The Lake House, with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, and The Sixth Sense, with the famous “I see dead people” line and the “aha” ending, share that need. They are worth the second viewing.

The question here is: Is Remember Me worth having to watch multiple times to appreciate? My first instinct was: Not sure. After watching and re-watching, maybe Remember Me is worth the review.

My frustrations: For some reason, director Allen Coulter allowed, perhaps sought, scenes in which lines are mumbled or spat out at light speed in the midst of a jumble of images and sounds. As viewers “get to know” the characters, they must struggle to hear and grasp what’s going on – much as the characters are struggling with their own understanding of their lives and circumstances.

The central character, Tyler, is played by the teen-sensation Pattinson. (As you can imagine, there were queues wherever they were shooting in New York.) He’s a spoiled brat, who is so irresponsible and unmotivated that he is only auditing his college classes. The audience would be hard-pressed to like Tyler, who goes into rages or funks at every turn. He doesn’t know when to be quiet nor does he care.

Tyler’s cool elder brother, Michael, killed himself and Tyler still writes to him. His little sister, Caroline, is also very different, an artist, in fact, and is the butt of jokes by the privileged perfect girls at school. Tyler’s college-age roommate is a self-proclaimed pr –, well, jerk. You can’t like him, either.

There’s Tyler’s father, portrayed by Pierce Brosnan. He’s an adult jerk, who is partly so because he’s a very successful businessman and doesn’t have time for tolerating less-than-perfect children.

Then Tyler meets a tough yet pretty young woman at NYU, where he works in the library, and of course, she changes him, or love changes him – to what, I don’t know. Abruptly, of course, intervenes.

OK. So the script is often pedestrian and inexplicable. The first half of the movie is a tangled mess. And characters like Tyler and friend Aidan mumble or babble a lot.

The second half is better, and some of the performances are worth watching. Brosnan has finally become an actor, and his snappish father/big businessman is quite compelling. Ruby Jerins is endearing and, of course, spunky as Tyler’s little sis. And finally, Emilie de Ravin is de-ravishing as Tyler’s new love, Ally. You will never forget her eyes -- her performance, maybe, but not those arresting eyes.

Remember Me is mostly memorable for its disappointments, including a non-descript performance in a too-small part by consummate actor Chris Cooper as Ally’s cop father,

Remember This:
If you decide (tough decision) to rent RM, leave time to re-watch a couple times to actually “get it,” and hopefully you will think it’s worth getting.

*****

JOEL's VIEW ...

This was a pretty good movie. It is a little disturbing to see Robert Pattinson smoking and drinking beer in this movie. He does a pretty good job in this. His character is Tyler, a moody, 21-year-old college student.

Emilie de Ravin does a good job playing Ally, the girl who Tyler falls for. She has lost her mother and has only her father to look up to.

The thing that really captured my attention was the supporting cast. It was chock full of Broadway actors. It featured Chris Cooper (Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor for Adaptation) as Neil Craig, Ally’s father. Lena Olin as Tyler’s mother, Diane Hirsch. Pierce Brosnan of James Bond fame plays Charles Hawkins, Tyler’s father, who works as a lawyer. Tony winner Gregory Jbara (Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Billy Elliot: The Musical) as Les Hirsch.

Martha Plimpton (Tony nominated for Top Girls, The Coast of Utopia, and Pal Joey) as Helen Craig, Ally’s mother. Also, there is Kate Burton, daughter of the fantastic actor, Richard Burton, as Janine.

I recommend this to anyone who just wants a decent movie to watch anytime they want. This is a good one.


http://www.rememberme-movie.com/