Remember Me Review: Half-baked romantic drama
This movie contains spoilers about the time frame during which the movie’s ending transpires.
One suspects Remember Me would earn the official Nicholas Sparks Seal of Approval, if there was such a thing. This movie is the kind of overwrought, half-baked romantic drama that has become Sparks’ stock-and-trade. So, for those who aren’t concerned about an estrogen overdose and for whom two “legitimate” Sparks adaptations are not enough (the recent Dear John and the upcoming The Last Song), Remember Me effectively fills the gap. There’s more contrived melodrama in these two hours than romance fans could reasonably hope for.
Remember Me represents Robert Pattinson’s attempt to prove he can do more than sparkle like a faux vampire, but the case he presents is not convincing. He spends most of the movie trying to channel James Dean. Dean may have been overrated, but he had talent, charisma, and swagger. Pattison seems to lack the first two qualities and he may be faking the third. (Although that, in and of itself, would be a form of acting.) He spends most of this movie brooding, which allows him to work on his scowl. To be fair, some of Pattinson’s low-key scenes with his female co-star, Lost’s Emilie de Ravin (who is delightful) are nicely done, but the actor fails to impress when sharing the screen with the likes of Chris Cooper and Pierce Brosnan. The word “lightweight” seems entirely appropriate as a description of this leading man.
