Movie Review of “Remember Me”

A couple weeks ago, my wife mentioned she wanted to see the movie " Remember Me ". I had heard this was a tear jerker and, as a result of that, wasn't really all that interested in it (I prefer upbeat movies) but, since she watched the " Fright Night " remake with me the other day, I moved it to the top of our Netflix queue and, as a result, we had a chance to watch it yesterday.

As I just mentioned, I'm not a big fan of chick flick tear jerkers like this movie. But, I have to admit, this film was pretty decent.

You'll never see me knock someone over to get a copy of the latest Twilight movie but Robert Pattinson is slowly starting to impress me as an actor. I still think his characters a little too much like Edward Cullen (I would love to see him play a villain someday). But, unlike so many other actors who were obviously nothing more than eye candy for teenage girls, he seems capable of carrying a lead role in a movie with a complex plot. This includes this film, which has Pattinson as a 21-year-old who is trying to decide what he wants to do with his life as he balances a new girlfriend and dysfunctional family and while coming to grips with the fact he will be turning 22, the same age his brother was when he killed himself.

Along with Pattinson, this movie had a pretty solid cast that included veterans like Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper playing a variety of roles that intersected perfectly because they had their own back stories (both revealed and unrevealed) that played a factor. I was especially impressed with Ruby Jerins , who played Pattinson's talented but troubled little sister. Every time something bad happened to her, I could feel her pain.

I was able to figure out how the movie was going to end even before they revealed the date. But, despite not being surprised by it, I still have to applaud both the creativity and boldness of it because it is one of those endings that just makes your heart break. I won't reveal too much about it. But, if you normally cry during sad movies, make sure to have a box of tissues ready.

If I have any complaints about this movie, it would be the fact it is almost a little too depressing. Most tear jerker-type movies still manage to have some upbeat moments to lighten them up for a few minutes. That really wasn't the case with this one, mostly because, whenever the characters seemed to be enjoying themselves, there was still some sort of reminder of the dead brother or the father who just didn't seem to care. In other words, even though there were some happy moments, they were somewhat awkward happy moments and didn't have the same effect.

Overall though, I thought this was a very entertaining movie and, despite the fact it is one of the most depressing films I have ever watched, I do recommend taking the time to watch it.

My Grade: 4 stars out of a possible 5.