Movie Review - "Remember Me" (2010) **1/2

     Here's a movie that was never on my radar when it was released but at the request of a good friend, I decided to give it a shot. It's not the type of movie I typically enjoy but as I was watching it, I felt myself being pulled in every now and then. There are some good things here, unfortunately it ultimately falls apart and comes up just short of a recommendation for me.

     The movie stars Twilight heart throb Robert Pattinson and LOST alum Emilie de Ravin as Tyler and Ally, the two parts of a brooding romance that does not start out that way. Tyler is a rebellious New Yorker who spends his days mostly drinking and smoking. His parents have divorced following the suicide of his brother, the result of which has led to a strained relationship between Tyler and his father, played by Pierce Brosnan. The only member of his family that Tyler seems real close to is his younger sister, Caroline (the cute as a button Ruby Jerins), who pleads with her brother to clean up his act. We get the sense that Tyler loves her a lot and will do anything to protect her. Ally has a troubled past as well. She witnessed her mothers murder on a subway platform when she was young. Her father, Neil (Chris Cooper), is a police sergeant who was called to the scene the night his wife was murdered and spent his time since then being protective of his daughter. Neil ends up arresting Tyler one night when he gets in a fight outside a bar. Tyler's friend, Aidan (Tate Ellington), finds out that Ally is Neil's daughter and talks Tyler into taking her out and then dumping her to get back at Neil for arresting them. Tyler goes along with this plan but he eventually starts having feelings for Ally and decides not to go through with it. Over time, Tyler and Ally start sharing their deepest secrets with each other and both find a reason to change their outlooks on life.

     As I stated at the start, there are some things here I like. Don't even get me started on Twilight, but Pattinson is....ok here. Not great, but he's not terrible either. de Ravin is a delight on the screen and she is one of the main reasons I miss LOST so much. I loved her as Claire on that show, and she is good here as well. The out-of-nowhere acting highlight for me is this young Ruby Jerins, who plays Tyler's sister. I think this girl could be a young actress to watch over the years if this performance was any indication. When she was on the screen, I was hooked into this movie and I would have liked to of seen more with her and Pattinson. Now the bad...the pacing of this movie is glacial at times. I've always said that if I look at my watch during a movie it's an automatic half star deduction from my ratings. I was checking the time often, not a good thing. The biggest gripe I have with the movie though is the ending. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a twist ending so I don't want to spoil anything but I thought it was exploitative and a complete miss for me. It was just an easy way to get a cheap reaction from the audience and I didn't buy it at all and it ruined the movie for me. A stronger ending would have probably earned that extra half star and a mild recommend for me. But I can't overlook the faults of what is there and I had to knock it. I think there is a good movie here and in the hands of a strong writer it could have been a lot better. It can't overcome its faults though and that's unfortunate.