I've never seen the "Twilight" movies so I haven't been washed over by the Robert Pattinson phenomenon. The trailer for "Remember Me" starts with him paraphrasing Gandhi about what we do in life means nothing but it's important to do it anyway. We then watch him get in a fight and punch a cop (Chris Cooper). Make sense? His father (Pierce Brosnan) is a wealthy CEO who bails him out and lectures him to pull himself together. Pattinson with half-shaven face and slouch is all rebellion. A friend at the bookstore he works advises him to meet a new girl (Emilie De Ravin) who just happens to be the daughter of the cop he punched out. Awkward.
Ravin and Pattinson fall in forbidden love. A man between the expectation of two fathers, it's only natural that Pattinson breaks a window with a fire extinguisher and gets in some more punches with Chris Cooper. But in the end, to the sound of the pretty strum of an acoustic guitar in the background, he gets the girl and blows out candles to his 22nd birthday cake.
While watching I thought about "Rebel Without a Cause." That movie shares the melodramatic overacting with this new version. I couldn't tell if Pattinson is a good actor or if he has star quality. He sleepwalks through his scenes. Certainly many teens think he's dreamy. Brosnan and Cooper are good actors but are no more than bookends to this coming of age drama. The title is curious. What is missing to remember? I won't give it away.
Opening March 12, 2010, Verdict: Skip
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