The ending is one you will either love or hate, so put me in the hate category. I hate the ending. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it with the passion of 1000 burning suns. I hate it more than Kim Basinger hates Alec Baldwin. I hate it more than Garfield hates Mondays. Other than that, Remember Me isn't so bad. Set in 2001, Robert Pattinson stars as Tyler Hawkins - a brooding introvert (Pattinson is good at that) haunted by his brother's suicide, and at war with his rich, cold, uncaring father, Charles (Pierce Brosnan). Come to think of it, Tyler hasn't met an authority figure he doesn't loathe, so it's not a surprise when he ends up on the wrong side of a hot headed cop, Neil Craig (Chris Cooper).
Before you know it, Tyler and his goofball best buddy, Aidan (Tate Ellington), find out Craig's beautiful daughter, Ally (Emilie de Raven), attends their college, and happens to have a class with our favorite brooding introvert. While the intention of getting to know Ally is murky at first, Tyler and the young co-ed soon start to fall for each other, and try to confront the family problems each one suffers with (and help bring a conclusion to his never ending brooding).
Is it true love?
Will each one come to some sort of detente with their father?
Can they find a way to move on from the horrible losses in their lives?
If nothing else, Remember Me gives those who are curious and the Twilight fans a chance to see Pattinson more animated and alive than you have ever seen him before. Best of all, the movie is not horrible.
Director Allen Coulter and writer Will Fetters shape Remember Me into a movie that is better at the
common scenes than the big climactic moments. When trying to hit the highly emotional points, Remember Me tends to be out of control, unbelievable and melodramatic, especially in scenes where Tyler is supposed to be angry beyond belief. Coulter needs to step in, get Pattinson to hold everything back a bit and make the anger feel real (but Brosnan has the same problem in the same scene, so you can't blame the actors completely). Overall, Pattinson is good, but de Ravin is even better. In an era where most young actresses have empty eyes that serve as a window into their vapid, brainless souls (you can say the same about some pretty boy actors, too), de Ravin has intensity, emotion, hurt and happiness that comes through on the screen perfectly. The two have some good chemistry, which is a welcome relief, as is Fetters's ability to weave in a few other plotlines to make Remember Me about more than the sappy romance.
Once all of the major plotlines have been wrapped up and you are ready to put your coat on and leave the theater, Coulter and Fetters drop a massive twist in your lap that is completely manipulative and unnecessary. Without giving it away, we don't need something as massive and huge to make the point. A smaller, more common ending would have fit better into the movie, and been more palatable for the audience.
Aidan is used extensively for comic relief (most of which is funny), so don't think you will go in and sit weeping for the entire film. However, you might want to walk out before the ending makes you angry as well.
2 ½ Waffles (Out of 4)
Remember Me is rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, language and smoking.
