[rating:3.5/4]

“Remember Me” is many things. It’s depressing. It’s emotional. It’s funny. It’s a love story to New York. Did I say it was depressing?

But once I overcame the desire to jump off a bridge after watching this movie, I realized it actually wasn’t bad. “Remember Me” follows Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson), a college student in New York City who has serious daddy issues and is haunted by his brother’s suicide. Enter Ally Craig (Emilie de Ravin), Hawkins’ quirky, independent classmate. Hawkins’ best friend, and the film’s comedic relief, Aidan (Tate Ellington) discovers that Craig is the daughter of Neil Craig (a brilliant Chris Cooper), a cop who pounded a little bit on Hawkins and sent him to jail. In a very “She’s All That” twist, Aidan dares Hawkins to ask her out, and Hawkins agrees.

So begins a tender romance between Craig and Hawkins, where they try to mend each others’ wounds (Ally has a dark past as well) while flirting enough to keep the Twihards salivating. It’s hard to remember that the looming secret of the initial dare is bound to come out when the movie skips to other interesting plot lines.

Directed by: Allen Coulter
Starring:Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Ruby Jerins
Rated: PG-13

Hawkins shares an endearing relationship with his little sister, Caroline (Ruby Jerins), who is plagued by artistic ability and a lack of social skills. One of the most heartbreaking scenes in the movie belongs to her when her classmates play a prank on her at a slumber party. Craig leaves home to live with Hawkins following a domestic violence occurrence with her dad (though she lives with Hawkins and Aidan for months — in Manhattan, no less, which is not cheap — and seemingly has no job or other friends, the issues of grocery bills and rent never come up). And many times, Hawkins’ strained relationship with his super-successful father (Pierce Brosnan) takes center stage.

Director Allen Coulter does his best work in the everyday scenes. Coulter manages to make Hawkins and Aidan’s repulsive apartment look beautiful in its disarray. The chemistry between Pattinson and de Ravin sings in the simple (and frequent) love scenes. Pattinson holds his own in passionate scenes with acting giants Brosnan and Cooper.

Just when you think things are tidying up nicely, the movie drops a twist ending in your lap which you will either love or hate. Surprisingly enough, I loved it, even though I know I should probably hate it. The reason I loved it, since you asked, is because three days after I saw the movie, I couldn’t get it out my head, which, according to the title, is accurate. “What would I have done?” I ask myself. “How could’ve he done things differently? Why did it happen that way?” Just know that, in the end, what happened, in a way, had to happen. Any other ending would have been untrue to the story. Hate me for that, if you will. But keep it to the comments section.

All in all, Robert Pattinson broods more convincingly here than in “Twilight.” Emily de Ravin is captivating. Pierce Brosnan is hateable. And the movie is, as it claims to be, memorable.

About The Author

Brooklynne Kelly Peters is a Blast contributing editor

2 Responses

  1. Susan Stokes

    I just got home from seeing Remember Me. I loved the movie till then end. I am a big Twilight fan and thought Rob Pattison did an excellent job in this movie. The way they ended the film was not right. I would be able to understand it if it was a true story, but since it is not I think it was a bad joke to end it the way they did to the American people.

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  2. Milaine

    I watched the movie, “Remember Me” yesterday with my sister. I went to the movie because I am a 35yo TwiFreak and I came out altered. This was Robert Pattinson’s best acting work to date. Everyone in the theatre was profusely sobbing and holding one another. People who didn’t even know each other were holding each other and crying. I live in the town where President Bush was flown to and made his address to the nation on that horrible day. When I stood up to leave, I swiftly put my jacket on to hide the fact that I was wearing a “Team Edward” shirt. The movie put alot of things in perspective for me (reality check), like what should be the most important things in my life, my family. All the petty crap in our lives doesn’t matter. If you didn’t leave the theatre altered, you are either too young to grasp what actually happened on that day or you have no heart.

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