Friday, March 12, 2010

My Remember Me Review

***Spoilers in the Comment Section*** (You know what to do.)


Ever since I first read the script last spring, I had been anticipating seeing Remember Me. I started this site in order to try to get others out there interested in seeing this film and keeping people up to date with the latest information.

Invited to a press screening on Saturday night in New York City, I jumped at the chance to go and finally see Remember Me for myself and to see if justice was done to the script that I had fallen in love with almost a year ago.

Remember Me was everything that I had hoped it would be and much more.

The film has been described as a romantic drama, but it is so much more than that. While the thread of Tyler and Ally's romance is what binds the film together and drives the plot, it is the other relationships, those of father / son, father / daughter, brother / sister that adds so much of the richness to this story. It’s also a story about how two different families react and deal with grief, who learn about each other, take care of each other, make mistakes, learn about each other and finally to appreciate and understand each other.

Tyler, along with his family, has been trying to cope with his brother’s death. His parents have split and it seems like the job is more important than the family to Tyler’s father. His little sister can’t understand why her father isn’t that interested in her. His father can’t understand why Tyler is lacking motivation. Tyler is angry with his father. His mother just wants everyone to get along and be happy. Tyler is taking life for granted and doesn’t seem to be enjoying it as much as he could. The anniversary of his brother’s death seems to have an affect on Tyler, making him introspective and withdrawn.

One night Tyler does the right thing at the wrong time, which will lead him to Ally for all the wrong reasons. Ally, a strong, independent yet vulnerable girl from Queens, is not too impressed by Tyler when they first meet, but she falls for him…and him for her.

Ally’s mother was killed when she was a child. Her police officer father is very overprotective, afraid to lose her too. Ally is more apt to see where life leads, but will her father ever let her.

Remember Me pulls you in from the opening scene. It is intense and emotional and sets the stage for the emotional roller coaster you will be on for the next 2 hours.

Robert Pattinson, as Tyler, more than proves to us that he can act. His portrayal of the angry son, the loving, protective big brother and the first hesitant, then loving boyfriend is spot on. In the scenes where he goes up against veterans Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper in two separate, but extremely emotional scenes, he more than holds his own. In most of the film, his emotions are so visible on his face. You will always know what Tyler Hawkins is feeling.

Emilie de Ravin is very convincing as Ally bringing both a toughness and vulnerability her character. Her scenes with father Chris Cooper let me see another dimension of her that I had not seen before. Her chemistry with Rob is more than there and they make an extremely believable onscreen couple.

Pierce Brosnan is quite at home in the role of the workaholic, seemingly nonchalant Charles Hawkins.

Tate Ellington adds some lighten the mood moments to the film as room-mate and best friend Aidan Hall.

It is evident that newcomer Ruby Jerins is a young actor to watch for in the future. She was wonderful in her role as young Caroline really nailing the precocious young girl who is confused about her father and an outsider at school. The scenes with Ruby and Rob are some of the most touching in the film.

And Chris Cooper was simply amazing as the angry, yet almost lost Officer Craig turning in, in my opinion, the strongest performance of this wonderful cast.

Rounding out the cast, Lena Olin plays a very convincing concerned mother with Gregory Jbara a steady presence in his scenes. Another relative newcomer, Peyton Lane does the spoiled, mean schoolgirl quite well.


The score, written by Marcelo Zarvos, is hauntingly beautiful. The music adds to and helps channel into the more emotional parts of the film and fits the scenes perfectly.

I also liked the “feel” of the film. It had a down to earth, gritty, organic feel. It’s not a shiny new toy type film at all. And I loved the lighting, how some scenes are more bluish and emotionally intense, while others are golden and warm.

This is a film that hits you hard and continues to hit you long after you have left the theater. It hi-lights why it is important to really live each day or your life, but how terribly important each of us is to the others in our lives.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

He dies during 9/11. Weak ending for a weak movie. Why don't you post any of the horrible reviews the movie got, they shouldn't be too hard to find given a 33% rating on rotten tomatoes.

kat said...

Find me a negative review that isn't out right snarky, doesn't mention the words "James Dean" or "brooding vampire" as if it was in the press release, that doesn't assume the only people watching this are teen-age girls, that doesn't use a plethoria of adjectives or spend 90% of the article re-writing Summit's synopsis as if the reviewer had to hit a word count, then I would be happy to re-post it.

BTW - I'm not posting all the postive ones either, just a sampling. Fan reviews, I'll be posting all that I get. What the person who puts down their own money to see a film thinks is more important in the long run than ones who get paid to.

Personally I did not think the ending (or the film) was weak but something that collectively we should all have been able to relate to on some level.

Camille said...

Can I ask for something?
I'm dying to know if Aidan has the 'Nerver ForgeT' tatoo. And here in Portugal, I will only find out on March 18... but I want to know yesterday :)
Do you tell me? Do you?

Izabele said...

Well, I'm brazilian and I went to the movies last night to support Remember Me Saturday and to be honest, bothers me because I saw so many criticisms of the film, saying it was a manipulation to win over the tragedy of September 11, but frankly it wasnt't, we don't see Rob looking the plane coming toward him, the attack on the towers and everything. This does not appear, it is understood. And then comes the desire to cry. So, frankly, in my view, my humble viewer, I only understood the film as if taking a person of many who died in the attack, and were told his story. It was like a tribute. It also made us cry. And I'm not saying they were just fans of Robert Pattinson, because I assure you that my husband isn't a fan himself of Rob, but even he cried, said the film reminded him "If only" and "The Notebook". I also had the same impression.

ecbcrc4ever said...

I thought Remember me was absolutly amazing movie. All the actors did an awesome job and of course Rob's performance blew me away. I never once thought oh he sorta acted like Edward there he was just amazing. I really wish people wouldn't stereotype someone and not see a movie just because Oh he plays that vampire he probably can't act. that is so not true. I really hope hollywood takes note of his performance!!! I've been telling everyone today to please go see this movie you will not regret it mainly because of the message that it gets across "do not take any moment of any day for granted and tell all the ones you love how much you love them becasue it could all been gone in a second"!!

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