Remember Me
Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin in Remember Me
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By Matt Hallam. |  |
Monday, 29, Mar 2010 04:03
Directed by Allen Coulter, out April 2nd in cinemas, starring Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Chris Cooper and Pierce Brosnan, running time 113 mins.
What's it all about?
Set in early noughties New York City, Tyler (Pattinson) is a young twenty-something struggling to come to terms with the suicide of his much-loved brother. A run-in with the law, followed by a bet with his best mate, sees him taking Ally (du Ravin) on a date; a twist of fate they are soon grateful for as their love for each other grows.
The history of each other's difficult lives unravels, as Ally admits she saw her mother murdered as a child, and now lives with her over-bearing father (Chris Cooper), while Tyler struggles with his business-obsessed father (Brosnan) who refuses to tend to the needs of his remaining children, Tyler and Caroline (Ruby Jerins).
As the two protagonists learn more about each other, their love grows stronger, but threatens to be ripped apart when Ally learns she was the prize of a bet. A much unexpected ending completes this inimitable love story.
As an example...
"I don't date sociology majors." - Ally
"Lucky for you I'm undecided." - Tyler
"What about?" - Ally
"Everything." - Tyler
What the others say
"It may strike some Twilight fans as heresy, but he strikes up more chemistry with Emilie de Ravin than he does with Twilight love interest, and purported real-life girlfriend, Kristen Stewart. Remember Me is a touching love story, but its broader tale of familial relations packs a greater emotional punch. Elements of the story come off as contrived, with unlikely coincidences linking more realistic moments. It also has a rather morose tone and sluggish pacing, leavened by the welcome humor of the precocious Caroline and the wastrel pose struck by Aidan." - Claudia Puig, USA TODAY
"Even if you know, or think you know, what's coming at the end, the emotional undertow is hard to resist and is of a piece with the picture's articulated philosophical position about doing all one can during one's brief moment on earth. Gotham locations are evocatively but unostentatiously used, Marcelo Zarvos' fine score stirs added emotional turbulence, and tech contributions are more than solid." - Todd McCarthy, Variety
So is it any good?
While the casting for this film is on paper very strong, it turns out to be its fatal flaw, as a robustly-New York based script sees an Aussie and a Brit take the leads. While both Pattinson and du Ravin suit there respective characters well, there is something a bit too British about the former which holds the emotional character of Tyler back, and something instinctively laid-back about the latter which sees her do the same.
But the film does at least begin well, as a painful act of violence shocks the love story expectant audience - be warned young Twihards, you may love Pattinson but this film is not for you and has rightly earnt its 12A certificate.
The movie explores some of the worst acts of humanity - as the characters deal with betrayal, loss, suicide, murder, bullying, terror, to name a few. The light relief brought from the superb skills of young Ruby Jerins as 11-year-old Caroline are welcome, and no doubt this little girl will be one to watch. Her character plays Pattinson's talented little sister, and the relationship between the two is genuinely heart-warming, particularly in a film with so much heavy content.
However, one point that can't be overlooked is the inconsistency of the accents in Remember Me - a flaw borne out of the film's casting. At points it's hard to decipher which is the more terrifying; Brosnan's sinister portrayal as Tyler's tyrannical father Charles Hawkins, or his painfully uncomfortable Brooklyn accent, akin to Hugh Grant in Mickey Blue Eyes.
The 'living for the moment' theme is a gentler aspect to the film, with some sweeter moments such as Ally's insistence on eating pudding before her main meal "in case she doesn't make it that long". But the movie is slow in parts, and I found Tate Ellington's character as Tyler's best friend and room mate erratic and irritating.
Without spoiling the ending, it comes as quite a shock, and the emotion it will evoke will no doubt be profound in many a viewer; it certainly was in me. But while the last scenes are shot well with some beautiful photography, and the music well chosen, the last few sequences appear a little carelessly and hurriedly put together, which is a pity, as they could well save what is altogether a mediocre film.
7/10
Sarah Garrod