REMEMBER ME
RYAN: Remember Me is a new romantic drama starring Edward Cullen a.k.a. Robert Pattinson, but this movie is most definitely not for the Twi-hards. It’s very adult.
CAROLINE: The subject matter is not for kids or ‘tweens. Maybe older teens can handle it, but it’s quite intense and parents should keep their younger kids on Team Edward away.
RYAN: It’ll make all the girls cry for sure.
CAROLINE: It’s not a bad little movie, but it has an indie feel. The director, Allen Coulter, also did Hollywoodland as well as a bunch of episodes of The Sopranos and Sex and the City.
RYAN: The story is pretty big though. The movie takes place in NYC, and I loved seeing some of my favorite landmarks like the Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park.
CAROLINE: There are lots of great shots of NYC, and I remember how crazy the paparazzi and teen girls were going last year during filming. I really didn’t know much about the story though, other than that Claire from Lost co-stars. Turns out it’s very dramatic, a tug-at-your-heartstrings weeper and very manipulative at the end, which I didn’t appreciate.
RYAN: The movie almost sets you up to feel sad, which you’re already feeling since the two main characters have both gone through great personal loss. By the end, I was so sad that I felt sick to my stomach.
CAROLINE: It’s not pleasant and frankly, it irritated me. When you finally realize where the movie is headed, you’re like, “OK, there’s no way they’d do that to me.” But they do. And it made me angry.
RYAN: Me too. But I really think they handled it the right way.
CAROLINE: I just don’t really get why this movie had to be made. Why now?
RYAN: Well, I guess it’s for people who like sad dramas. Robert Pattinson looks gorgeous, and it’s nice to see him playing a human character. His American accent is great too.
CAROLINE: His performance really surprised me. He’s very good, and his accent is flawless. You almost want him to be bad just to prove what a joke the Twilight movies are, but he pleasantly surprises you with a very strong, emotional performance. So now we know; it’s not the actors who suck in the Twilight franchise, but the scripts. Except maybe for Taylor Lautner.
RYAN: The guy who plays Robert Pattinson’s roommate is also very cute and funny.
CAROLINE: Ugh, he kind of annoyed me. But he was supposed to. Then he redeemed himself at the end.
RYAN: Emilie de Ravin was pretty good too.
CAROLINE: Yeah, I liked her. She sometimes lapsed into her Australian accent a little bit though.
RYAN: She’s kind of having the best week ever, what with Lost getting so much buzz in its final season, and co-starring opposite one of the biggest heartthrobs in Hollywood. This could be her big jump from TV to film.
CAROLINE: I hear you, but the screening we attended was barely 50% full. I was shocked. I thought there’d be screaming teens everywhere and people lining up around the block.
RYAN: It’s also got Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper, as well as an amazing little girl who plays Robert Pattinson’s sister. Some of what she goes through at school totally reminded me of my own childhood. And I loved Martha Plimpton who’s in the movie for about three minutes at the beginning.
CAROLINE: It’s sort of a slice-of-life movie that shows characters going through the ups and downs of life. In this case, more downs than ups, so be prepared.
— BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: I liked this movie way more than I thought I would. I had no interest in it at first, other than for its pop cultural relevance. But it really engaged me throughout, except for the ending which made me feel sick. It’s pretty disturbing.
CAROLINE: Even though it’s a fine movie, I don’t know that I can recommend it because of its heavy subject matter and manipulative ending. I almost felt cheated or deceived. You can sort of see where the movie’s going as you’re watching, if you’re paying attention, but you don’t fully realize what might happen till the final moments, and by then you’ll just be pissed.
RYAN: It’s like they pull out your heart and eat it. It’s just rude. And this isn’t based on a true story, so it’s like, why did you have to make it so tragic?
— RATING —
