Remember Me

A disappointing break from the vampire theme for Robert Pattinson.

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Remember Me was billed essentially as "the Robert Pattinson film". And what everyone meant by this was that it wasn't yet another vampire instalment. Fair enough. But there isn't much here to recommend it to anyone other than a teenage girl obsessed with the Twilight star. Instead of the fangs, Pattinson dons the scruffy wardrobe of a New York University student named Tyler with the attitude of James Dean. Well, that's what he'd like us to think. In truth, Tyler's bad-boy, chain-smoking, growly attitude seems too exaggerated. But we're used to Pattinson overacting. Note the aforementioned Twilight series. We learn that his angst is due to his brother's suicide several years before, and the knock-on effect that this has had on his family. Dad, Charles (Hello, Pierce Brosnan. Where have you been?), is a big-talking, big-deal businessman who seems to have little time for his remaining children. Tyler is clearly damaged, his younger sister Caroline (well-played by Ruby Jerrins, also in Shutter Island) is painted as an artistic oddity who is bullied at school. Plot development mostly comes in the form of Ally (Emilie de Ravin). Another wounded soul, she watched her mother die at the age of 11 after being shot by a mugger. Passionate, young love between Ally and Tyler blossoms after a chance meeting in class one day. Can they heal one another? The chance to find out is ruined by the abrupt and rather tasteless ending, which I won't spoil here. Suffice to say New Yorkers have been in two minds about its handling.