Remember Me (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Remember Me is a 2010 American romantic
coming of age
drama film
directed by Allen Coulter
, and screenplay by Will Fetters. It stars Robert Pattinson
, Emilie de Ravin
, Chris Cooper
, Lena Olin
, and Pierce Brosnan
.
) is a student at New York University
. She lives at home with her overprotective detective father, Neil (Chris Cooper
).
Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson
), a moody, directionless 21-year-old, is auditing classes at NYU and working in a bookstore. He has had a strained relationship with his businessman father, Charles (Pierce Brosnan
) since his brother Michael's suicide (after which Tyler got Michael's name tattooed on his chest). Charles appears to ignore his youngest child, Caroline (Ruby Jerins
), to whom Tyler is very close.
One night, Tyler and his roommate Aidan (Tate Ellington
) find themselves in trouble with Neil. Later, Aidan sees Neil dropping Ally off at NYU. He decides to retaliate against the detective by persuading Tyler to sleep with and ultimately dump Ally. Tyler reluctantly agrees to meet her. After spending some time together, Ally and Tyler bond over the losses in their lives and begin to fall in love. After Ally sleeps over at Tyler's house, she and her father have a fight, ending with Neil hitting her. Ally then moves in with Tyler and Aidan. Neil's friend, a cop, recognizes Tyler with Ally on a train coming from a beach holiday with his family. Neil breaks into Tyler's apartment and confronts Tyler. Tyler provokes Neil by confessing to Aidan's plan and his initial reason for meeting Ally, which in turn forces Tyler to confess everything to Ally. She leaves him angrily and returns to her father's home. The couple remain alienated until Aidan visits her to explain that only he is to blame, and that Tyler was sincerely in love with her. They are then shown to be back together, as they walk with Caroline in the park.
Before this reunion, Caroline is bullied by a group of classmates at a birthday party; they cut her hair off, and when they tease her in front of Tyler, he turns violent and ends up in jail again. Charles is impressed that Tyler stood up for his sister, and they begin to reconnect.
Later, Charles asks Tyler to meet with him and his lawyers at his office. Charles takes Caroline to school and is late, so Tyler waits in his office, where he sees, on Charles's computer, a screensaver of pictures of Tyler, Michael, and Caroline when they were younger.
Caroline is then shown in class and the teacher draws her attention to the board, where the date is revealed as September 11, 2001. Tyler looks out at Manhattan
from the window of his father's office—which is located in the World Trade Center
. Once the 9/11 terrorist attacks begin, the rest of the family (along with Aidan and Ally) are seen looking horrified at the towers before the camera pans over the rubble, showing Tyler's diary. Tyler is later buried next to Michael.
Some time later, Caroline (whose hair has grown back) and Charles seem to have a healthy father-daughter relationship. Aidan, who has since gotten a tattoo of Tyler's name on his arm, is working hard in school and Ally is finally taking the subway again, after having avoided it since her mother's death. The film ends as she looks at the camera with a small, sad smile.
in the UK and PG13 in the USA.
. The site's consensus states, "Its leads are likeable, but Remember Me suffers from an overly maudlin script and a borderline offensive final twist." It also holds a "mixed or average" score of 40 out of 100 on Metacritic
.
Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter
gave the film a positive review, stating the "scenes between Pattinson and de Ravin exude genuine charm." Honeycutt goes on to say that the score and cinematography brought "notable sparkle to this heartfelt drama." Roger Ebert
generally liked the film, giving it three out of four stars and characterizing it as a "well-made movie. I cared about the characters. I felt for them. Liberate them from the plot's destiny, which is an anvil around their necks, and you might have something" but goes on to say it "tries to borrow profound meaning, but succeeds only in upstaging itself so overwhelmingly that its characters become irrelevant".
Jake Coyle of The Associated Press
did not favor the film and said the "most pleasing thing about [the film] is its boldness. It may be affected, but [it] is at least aiming for an intriguing character study — a positive sign in the young career of Pattinson" whom he says steps away from "Twilight
, apparently in search of his Five Easy Pieces
or Rebel Without a Cause
." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly
gave the film a D+, calling it a "shameless contraption of ridiculously sad things befalling attractive people". Schwarzbaum was also critical of Pattinson's acting and the script. Wesley Morris
of the Boston Globe gave the film a half star out of four, commenting that the film "crassly repurposes tragedy to excuse its cliches." Other critics also found the movie's invocation of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center offensive and exploitative, such as Lisa Kennedy of the Denver Post: "The finale manages to be tasteful and exploitative at the same time. It touts forgiveness while being mildly infuriating. Such is the danger of borrowing from the enormous to merely entertain. If that. Forgettable should be the last thing a movie touching on the events of 9/11 should be. Yet 'Remember Me' is just that."
, Green Zone
, She's Out of My League
, and Shutter Island. It grossed $8,089,139 in its first weekend. As of June 3, Remember Me accumulated a total of $56,223,951 at the box office.
. The movie consisted of 26 credited songs, while the soundtrack 14 of them, including songs by Sigur Rós
, The Beta Band
, Ani Difranco
, Supergrass
and National Skyline
. A Pakistani song, Saason ki Mala Peh Simroon by Nusrat Ali Fateh Khan was also heard in the movie when Tyler takes Alley on their first date at Gandhi Restaurant.
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
coming of age
Coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Allen Coulter
Allen Coulter
Allen Coulter is an American television and film director, credited with a number of successful television programs. He has directed two feature films, Hollywoodland, a film regarding the questionable death of George Reeves starring Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, and Ben Affleck, and 2010's Remember...
, and screenplay by Will Fetters. It stars Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...
, Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
, Chris Cooper
Chris Cooper (actor)
Christopher W. "Chris" Cooper is an American film actor. He became well known in the late 1990s. He has appeared in supporting performances in several major Hollywood films, including The Bourne Identity, American Beauty, Capote, The Town, The Kingdom, Syriana, October Sky, Seabiscuit, and...
, Lena Olin
Lena Olin
Lena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress.-Early life:Olin was born the youngest of three children, in Stockholm, Sweden. She is the daughter of actress Britta Holmberg and the director Stig Olin...
, and Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
.
Plot
In New York City in 1991, an 11-year-old girl named Alyssa "Ally" Craig witnesses the murder of her mother on a New York City Subway platform, on the F Line at 18th Avenue and McDonald Avenue elevated station in Brooklyn. Ten years later, a 21-year-old Ally (Emilie De RavinEmilie de Ravin
Emilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
) is a student at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. She lives at home with her overprotective detective father, Neil (Chris Cooper
Chris Cooper (actor)
Christopher W. "Chris" Cooper is an American film actor. He became well known in the late 1990s. He has appeared in supporting performances in several major Hollywood films, including The Bourne Identity, American Beauty, Capote, The Town, The Kingdom, Syriana, October Sky, Seabiscuit, and...
).
Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...
), a moody, directionless 21-year-old, is auditing classes at NYU and working in a bookstore. He has had a strained relationship with his businessman father, Charles (Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
) since his brother Michael's suicide (after which Tyler got Michael's name tattooed on his chest). Charles appears to ignore his youngest child, Caroline (Ruby Jerins
Ruby Jerins
Ruby Jerins is an American child actress best known for playing Grace Peyton in the hit comedy Nurse Jackie, and Caroline in the film Remember Me.-Life and career:...
), to whom Tyler is very close.
One night, Tyler and his roommate Aidan (Tate Ellington
Tate Ellington
Tate Ellington is an American actor from Mississippi. He is best known for playing the role of Aidan Hall, best friend of Tyler Hawkins in the 2010 film Remember Me. Ellington also had a starring role as Oliver Hunt in The Elephant King movie...
) find themselves in trouble with Neil. Later, Aidan sees Neil dropping Ally off at NYU. He decides to retaliate against the detective by persuading Tyler to sleep with and ultimately dump Ally. Tyler reluctantly agrees to meet her. After spending some time together, Ally and Tyler bond over the losses in their lives and begin to fall in love. After Ally sleeps over at Tyler's house, she and her father have a fight, ending with Neil hitting her. Ally then moves in with Tyler and Aidan. Neil's friend, a cop, recognizes Tyler with Ally on a train coming from a beach holiday with his family. Neil breaks into Tyler's apartment and confronts Tyler. Tyler provokes Neil by confessing to Aidan's plan and his initial reason for meeting Ally, which in turn forces Tyler to confess everything to Ally. She leaves him angrily and returns to her father's home. The couple remain alienated until Aidan visits her to explain that only he is to blame, and that Tyler was sincerely in love with her. They are then shown to be back together, as they walk with Caroline in the park.
Before this reunion, Caroline is bullied by a group of classmates at a birthday party; they cut her hair off, and when they tease her in front of Tyler, he turns violent and ends up in jail again. Charles is impressed that Tyler stood up for his sister, and they begin to reconnect.
Later, Charles asks Tyler to meet with him and his lawyers at his office. Charles takes Caroline to school and is late, so Tyler waits in his office, where he sees, on Charles's computer, a screensaver of pictures of Tyler, Michael, and Caroline when they were younger.
Caroline is then shown in class and the teacher draws her attention to the board, where the date is revealed as September 11, 2001. Tyler looks out at Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
from the window of his father's office—which is located in the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. Once the 9/11 terrorist attacks begin, the rest of the family (along with Aidan and Ally) are seen looking horrified at the towers before the camera pans over the rubble, showing Tyler's diary. Tyler is later buried next to Michael.
Some time later, Caroline (whose hair has grown back) and Charles seem to have a healthy father-daughter relationship. Aidan, who has since gotten a tattoo of Tyler's name on his arm, is working hard in school and Ally is finally taking the subway again, after having avoided it since her mother's death. The film ends as she looks at the camera with a small, sad smile.
Cast
- Robert PattinsonRobert PattinsonRobert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...
as Tyler Hawkins - Emilie de RavinEmilie de RavinEmilie de Ravin born 27 December 1981)is an Australian actress. She is commonly associated with her roles as Tess Harding on Roswell and Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost....
as Ally Craig - Chris CooperChris Cooper (actor)Christopher W. "Chris" Cooper is an American film actor. He became well known in the late 1990s. He has appeared in supporting performances in several major Hollywood films, including The Bourne Identity, American Beauty, Capote, The Town, The Kingdom, Syriana, October Sky, Seabiscuit, and...
as Neil Craig, Ally's father. - Lena OlinLena OlinLena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress.-Early life:Olin was born the youngest of three children, in Stockholm, Sweden. She is the daughter of actress Britta Holmberg and the director Stig Olin...
as Diane Hirsch, Tyler's mother. - Pierce BrosnanPierce BrosnanPierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
as Charles Hawkins, Tyler's father. - Martha PlimptonMartha PlimptonMartha Campbell Plimpton is an American actress and singer and former model. Plimpton is a screen, stage and television actress. She first appeared as Jonsy in the feature film River Rats before rising to prominence in the Richard Donner film The Goonies portraying the character Stef...
as Helen Craig, Ally's mother. - Ruby JerinsRuby JerinsRuby Jerins is an American child actress best known for playing Grace Peyton in the hit comedy Nurse Jackie, and Caroline in the film Remember Me.-Life and career:...
as Caroline Hawkins, Tyler's little sister. - Gregory JbaraGregory Jbara-Early life:Jbara was born in Nankin Township , Michigan, the son of an advertising office manager and an insurance claims adjuster. He is of Lebanese and Irish descent. After graduating from Wayne Memorial High School in Wayne, Michigan, Jbara attended the University of Michigan from 1979 to 1981...
as Les Hirsch, Diane's new partner - Tate EllingtonTate EllingtonTate Ellington is an American actor from Mississippi. He is best known for playing the role of Aidan Hall, best friend of Tyler Hawkins in the 2010 film Remember Me. Ellington also had a starring role as Oliver Hunt in The Elephant King movie...
as Aidan Hall - Kate BurtonKate Burton (actress)-Personal life:Burton was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the daughter of producer Sybil Burton and actor Richard Burton . She was thus the stepdaughter of actress Elizabeth Taylor and of Sybil's second husband Jordan Christopher. In 1979, Burton earned a bachelor's degree in Russian studies and...
as Janine, Charles' secretary and assistant - Peyton Roi List as Samantha
- Chris McKinney as Leo
Premiere
The film premiered on March 1, 2010 at the Paris Theatre in New York City, and received its wide release on March 12, 2010. It is rated 12ABritish Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
in the UK and PG13 in the USA.
Critical response
The film currently holds a "Rotten" rating of 28% based on 108 reviews on the film review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. The site's consensus states, "Its leads are likeable, but Remember Me suffers from an overly maudlin script and a borderline offensive final twist." It also holds a "mixed or average" score of 40 out of 100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
gave the film a positive review, stating the "scenes between Pattinson and de Ravin exude genuine charm." Honeycutt goes on to say that the score and cinematography brought "notable sparkle to this heartfelt drama." Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
generally liked the film, giving it three out of four stars and characterizing it as a "well-made movie. I cared about the characters. I felt for them. Liberate them from the plot's destiny, which is an anvil around their necks, and you might have something" but goes on to say it "tries to borrow profound meaning, but succeeds only in upstaging itself so overwhelmingly that its characters become irrelevant".
Jake Coyle of The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
did not favor the film and said the "most pleasing thing about [the film] is its boldness. It may be affected, but [it] is at least aiming for an intriguing character study — a positive sign in the young career of Pattinson" whom he says steps away from "Twilight
The Twilight Saga (film series)
The Twilight Saga is a series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The series has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide...
, apparently in search of his Five Easy Pieces
Five Easy Pieces
Five Easy Pieces is a 1970 American drama film written by Carole Eastman and Bob Rafelson, and directed by Rafelson. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, and Susan Anspach. The cast also includes Billy 'Green' Bush, Fannie Flagg, Ralph Waite, Sally Struthers, Lois Smith, Toni Basil, and...
or Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments...
." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the film a D+, calling it a "shameless contraption of ridiculously sad things befalling attractive people". Schwarzbaum was also critical of Pattinson's acting and the script. Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris is a film critic at The Boston Globe where he reviews films alongside Ty Burr. Morris and Burr also make regular appearances on NECN to discuss the latest films and do the weekly Take Two film review video series on Boston.com...
of the Boston Globe gave the film a half star out of four, commenting that the film "crassly repurposes tragedy to excuse its cliches." Other critics also found the movie's invocation of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center offensive and exploitative, such as Lisa Kennedy of the Denver Post: "The finale manages to be tasteful and exploitative at the same time. It touts forgiveness while being mildly infuriating. Such is the danger of borrowing from the enormous to merely entertain. If that. Forgettable should be the last thing a movie touching on the events of 9/11 should be. Yet 'Remember Me' is just that."
Box office
Remember Me opened in fifth place, behind Alice in WonderlandAlice in Wonderland (2010 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American computer-animated/live action fantasy adventure film directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
, Green Zone
Green Zone (film)
Green Zone is a 2010 American war thriller film written by Brian Helgeland and directed by Paul Greengrass. The film was inspired by the non-fiction 2006 book Imperial Life in the Emerald City by journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran, which documented life in the Green Zone, Baghdad...
, She's Out of My League
She's Out of My League
She's Out of My League is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Jim Field Smith and written by Sean Anders and John Morris. The film has, in its starring roles, Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve, and was produced by Jimmy Miller for Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks and filmed in Pittsburgh,...
, and Shutter Island. It grossed $8,089,139 in its first weekend. As of June 3, Remember Me accumulated a total of $56,223,951 at the box office.
Accolades
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Teen Choice Awards Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with... |
Choice Movie: Drama | |
| Choice Movie Actor: Drama - Robert Pattinson Robert Pattinson Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire... |
|||
| Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards The Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards is an annual awards show which awards entertainers with a blimp trophy, as voted by kids. The show is usually held during October or November and a televised show is produced, touted as the biggest party for kids on the planet.-Host Cities:* 2003 -... |
Favorite Movie Star - Robert Pattinson |
Soundtrack
The official Remember Me soundtrack was released on March 9, 2010. A score soundtrack was also released which was composed by Marcelo ZarvosMarcelo Zarvos
Marcelo Zarvos is a Brazilian pianist and composer. He began in classical music in his teens and studied at the Berklee College of Music. He is more known for jazz and had success with the album Dualism accompanied by saxophonist Peter Epstein...
. The movie consisted of 26 credited songs, while the soundtrack 14 of them, including songs by Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
, The Beta Band
The Beta Band
The Beta Band were a British musical group who received much critical acclaim and achieved cult status amongst avid followers of the underground and experimental music scene...
, Ani Difranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
, Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
and National Skyline
National Skyline
National Skyline is a rock band formed in late 1996 by Jeff Dimpsey of Hum. Dimpsey originally formed the band in order to perform a 45-minute long song that he had written. They were initially an indie rock supergroup of sorts, with a rotating cast of prominent Champaign/Chicago area musicians...
. A Pakistani song, Saason ki Mala Peh Simroon by Nusrat Ali Fateh Khan was also heard in the movie when Tyler takes Alley on their first date at Gandhi Restaurant.