SPOILER ALERT
If you haven’t seen this movie and you want to, you probably shouldn’t be reading this post. I’m going to tell you how it ends. Right now. Go away if you don’t want to know! Last chance! Okay then, you asked for it.
All day, part of my mind has been working on why I was so angry that Remember Me invoked 9/11 at the end of the movie as a plot device to kill Robert Pattinson’s character (Tyler Harkin). I tweeted my ire. I left an angry comment in the discussion thread at Twitarded. I was fucking hopped up about it. And my feeling was, yes, if Remember Me was a person with testicles instead of a poorly constructed drama featuring some of the finest eye candy this side of Hollywood, I would punch it in the balls.
Here’s why.
If you’re going to feature the tragedy at the World Trade Center on 9/11 in your movie, please don’t tack it on in the last five minutes and treat it superficially. If you do, I’m going to nut punch you because those people who died there, those people who loved them, and those people who survived it? They deserve better. I just feel that the magnitude of that catastrophe must be respected in all representations. And it wasn’t here.
Tyler’s story line ends just before he realizes he’s going to die in the World Trade Center. You see him staring out the window, you know the date, you understand what’s about to happen to him. But he doesn’t know it yet. And that’s the last we see of him. The point of view then conveniently shifts to the other characters’ reactions to the planes hitting and their loss of Tyler. And then it all nicely ends with their subsequent recovery and the positive transformation of their lives, ostensibly because of 9/11 and the lessons they learned. All this in maybe five minutes of film.
Let me ask this. If Tyler is the main protagonist and Remember me is his story, why stop telling it right at its most painful, terrifying point? Tyler didn’t die in that final scene of him standing in the window. We know he’s going to live several more excruciating, horrifying moments, or even longer, right? So why doesn’t the movie stay with him for those last horrific moments? Why are we, the viewers, spared that nightmare? Don’t you wish you could see what those terrifying final moments were like for Tyler?
Of course you fucking don’t. Nobody in their right mind does.
So then, if we can’t deal with the most painful aspects of 9/11, why are we dealing with it here at all? If you want to go there, then fucking go there and do it justice. But if the very real experiences of the human beings who died in that nightmare are too painful for this movie, just don’t fucking go there. I promise you, you can tell a compelling “love your family” and “live for the moment” story without using that terrible tragic day to do it.
Let me clarify something important here. If Remember Me included more graphic, poignant Tyler death scenes, I would have probably hurt someone. Thank God they didn’t do that in the movie.
What I’m trying to say is this. If you want to make a movie about 9/11, then deal with the real 9/11. The one where people died in unimaginably terrifying ways, the one where families, children, husbands and wives waited and waited and waited and tried not to imagine that their loved ones suffered such an unthinkable end. The one where those who survived had their lives destroyed and fought every day with all they had just to fucking go on in spite of it. Those people are heroes, and their stories are well worth telling.
By tacking 9/11 on as the surprise ending to this film, Remember Me failed miserably at conveying the magnitude of that day. It showed some sad characters getting their lives together, like 9/11 helped them resolve their little neuroses and get their priorities straight and fucking hell folks, it just didn’t work like that for most people. People went on, yes. But it was a heart breaking struggle. It was painful. None of that comes through the ending here. And plenty of people had their lives destroyed forever because of it.
I guess what I’m saying is that there are so many real, compelling stories of 9/11 that should be told. But 9/11 was the defining moment in those narratives, not the convenient plot twist.
This is just how I feel. If you felt differently about the movie, I respect that. I’m honestly glad that some people were moved by it. It’s just not how I felt, or how I was affected and I don’t believe for a moment there’s one right opinion on this. There’s just all of us, you know? All of us out here buying movie tickets and having an experience and sharing it on the internet.
I will say this. Remember Me affected me enough to *PTMFS. And that’s not nothing.
*Post This Mother Fucking Shit, a term coined by Snarkier Than You and Jenny Jerkface over at Twitarded.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
I think Remember Me is a highly misunderstood movie.
This movie is not about 9/11. I think Remember me production team intention was to use this event to get alot of people to think abouy tylers life and think about the beautiful message -Live in the moments.
They did not use 9/11 cheaply.But Its a very significant event than a normal car crash. If tyler died in a car crash then nobody will talk about it or it wont be this much touching. They use 9/11 to touch our hear soo deeply. Life is unpredictable.Thats why we should enjoy every second of it.With our bussy livis we tend to forget to enjoy what we have.
To be This film opened my eyes and tought me that you should be gratfull to others for supporting you and you should not take anything for granted.So when I came back from the Theater I rang my parents to thank them for giving me Life and I rang some friends whom I havent met for a long time. I told my family that i really aprreciate their support. THATS WHAT I LEARNT FROM THIS FILM. I am thankfull to RM for opening my eyes most realistic way.
May be this movie is too authentic and too raw for people who are soo used to too fictional beautifull perfect movies.
Tyler was in the wrong place wrong time….Thats life.We dont know whats around the corner.Thats why its important to Live in the Moments.
Hmm, well, not so sure if you are talking about me as someone who is too used to fictional perfect movies or not, but as I say in my post here, I am glad that you and others were moved by this story and its end. I think that’s a positive outcome.
For some of us, it felt like a cheap shot. If we felt that way, there’s a reason. My reasons are listed above, and I think they deserve to be respected as much as anyone else’s feelings. But I know this is the internet, and that’s an impossible request.
There were interviewers and reviewers who mentioned that 9/11/01 was going to be a part of the film, but it was so casual I guess because it was so supposed to be a surprise, something to make you think, or blah, blah, blah. But if I didn’t know that was apart of the film and I went to see it – I would have lost my shit and demanded my money back and who knows what else. I refused to see the movie once I was aware that it was going to be apart of the film some how. I don’t trust that Summit has the ability to incorporate anything about the events that took place on 9/11/01 or after successfully.
And before someone says, well what about “The Hurt Locker” – a friggin’ brilliant film, Summit kept their paws off of that film. There were no focus groups, no outside opinions, no major marketing, no input from studio heads, no rewriting of scripts from idiots. It was a journalist and the story of things he saw firsthand, a director and her views of that story, a producer, actors that were able to carry off that film and cast, crew, and a country that made that film great. Summit gave it backing and barely put in the theaters.
Thanks for your honest review. Also I adore that you have little ones and you drop the f-bomb like you were talking about the sky or cereal. I adore it!!!
See, I don’t pay attention to popular culture, believe it or not! So I really didn’t figure it out about the ending. I knew Rob Pattinson’s character would die, that much I’d gleaned and with the title, it seemed mandatory. My husband didn’t go with me but when I told him he was like, Ugh. Summit is the worst movie house on the planet. Another thing I wouldn’t have known, but can now believe. I didn’t see the Hurt Locker. As a rule, I don’t do dramas unless, well, there’s some compelling reason (COUGH***RPATTZ***COUGH). Okay, I don’t know if that’s what I’d call a compelling reason. Oh shit, who am I trying to kid. I’d see Police Academy #234 if it starred Robert Pattinson.
Well, you just killed my (small) desire to see this movie. I think 9/11 is taboo; like you say, there’s no way to encompass the horror, both personal and national, that day embodies. I still get sick to my stomach when I remember it. It’s not a plot device.
Even if the ending had been something else, the script wasn’t good. So to put that ending on a mediocre film was just, ugh. ‘What. The. Fuck.’ I think was my actual response.
I think I may have heard you utter those exact words, actually.
And if nobody else is going to say it, I will – it’s “Hawkins.” “Tyler Hawkins.” (fwiw i think you are the better person for not knowing this.)
: )
wish one of you guys was coming with us tomorrow night! stupid grown-up responsibilities. blerg.
This part of your entry:
“…The one where people died in unimaginably terrifying ways, the one where families, children, husbands and wives waited and waited and waited and tried not to imagine that their loved ones suffered such an unthinkable end. The one where those who survived had their lives destroyed and fought every day with all they had just to fucking go on in spite of it. Those people are heroes, and their stories are well worth telling.”
Well, isn’t that what they were saying about Tyler? Wasn’t the movie his story, which was worth telling? Weren’t his family members and friends the ones who waited for him to see if he was all right? Weren’t they the ones that had to go in spite of his tragic death?
I’ll admit that the ending irked me in a way I can’t quite articulate. But I don’t see why 9/11 should be considered taboo in art. It happened. Perhaps it is too soon for some.
I guess the rest of my entry here explains why I feel like they didn’t actually tell a real 9/11 story. Something about 9/11 being the defining moment of the story, not the convenient plot twist that you stick on the end of a mediocre romance. I don’t think the intent of the movie was bad, but I think the execution was.
I don’t argue here that 9/11 is taboo for art. But I do think if you’re going to go there, then you need to do it justice. What does Remember Me really say about 9/11? People like Tyler’s father and Allie and Aidan got their priorities straight and conquered their fears because of what they learned from it?
That’s a nice idea. But it’s a very, very long stretch from what people really endured to pick up the pieces and go on. People did pick up the pieces, sure. But they suffered like hell, and that suffering is not represented in Remember Me. There is an enormous gap between Hollywood and reality here, and it offends me.
I don’t think I can see this movie now… bad enough that Robert dies, but this way? Doesn’t sound very cool to me at all!
Now, I know that the movies mesage would be usless with out tylers deth,but I loved this movie right up to the last 7 minuts of it when tiyler dies!I probly would of got the movie on dvd,but because of the ending,I wish to never see it agen!Maby if they wanted a good ending they could make it look like they thought tyler was ded for a wile,but than you know how they show in documentrys that the last few living people in 9/11 are not foud for days.so they show the tragity and greaving for a lot of time from all the people that love him and all of a sudden smack right at the end tyler is saved with a robert paton sin smile and he looks all derty and u see him saved for maby 3 seconds so it will not be too tragec but still some what tragec so the mesage could be there.this can happen in souch a short time that you wont forget the message.well i hate the tagity in this movie.but if it was different i wold make it my favorite move!i dont know if this idea sucks but it was worth a shot.
p.s and yah,i did want to kick remember me in the friggen balls.
Now, I know that the movies message would be useless without Tyler’s death, but I loved this movie right up to the last 7 minutes of it when Tyler dies! I probly would of got the movie on DVD, but because of the ending, I wish to never see it again! Maby if they wanted a good ending they could make it look like they thought Tyler was dead for a while, but then you know how they show in documentaries that the last few living people in 9/11 are not found for days. So they show the tragedy and grieving for a lot of time from all the people that love him and all of a sudden smack right at the end Tyler is saved with a Robert Patonson smile and he looks all dirty and u see him saved for maby 3 seconds so it will not be too tragic but still somewhat tragic so the message could be there. This can happen in such a short time that you won’t forget the message. Well I hate the tragedy in this movie. But if it was different I would make it my favorite move! I don’t know if this idea sucks but it was worth a shot.
P.s and yah, I did want to kick remember me in the friggen balls.
Sorry this is a redo of the first one i wroght
OMG it is a great film, and it shows tylers family waiting and waiting for him, stop moaning i give this film 10 out of 10, 9/11 was not used inapropiatly here!! sorryyy but the film was fantastic !!!
There’s no arguing with that logic. ^^
That shit’s air tight.
Thank you for articulating the feelings I had about this movie. The last 5 minutes were a complete non sequitur to the rest of the film, which was mediocre at best to begin with.
I think the moral of the story is nobody is immune to tragedy. Whether your life has been laced with it or you have never felt its sting. But you can’t let it change who are or how you live your life. Put the 9/11 twist help everyone connect. Because its something we’ve all felt
Alltho i did reallly love it so ya
Now, I know that the movies message would be useless without Tyler’s death, but I loved this movie right up to the last 7 minutes of it when Tyler dies! I probly would of got the movie on DVD, but because of the ending, I wish to never see it again! Maby if they wanted a good ending they could make it look like they thought Tyler was dead for a while, but then you know how they show in documentaries that the last few living people in 9/11 are not found for days. So they show the tragedy and grieving for a lot of time from all the people that love him and all of a sudden smack right at the end Tyler is saved with a Robert Patonson smile and he looks all dirty and u see him saved for maby 3 seconds so it will not be too tragic but still somewhat tragic so the message could be there. This can happen in such a short time that you won’t forget the message. Well I hate the tragedy in this movie. But if it was different I would make it my favorite move! I don’t know if this idea sucks but it was worth a shot.
P.s and yah, I did want to kick remember me in the friggen balls.Alto i change my mind i love and ill se it agen bu i was so moved and love this move that i hate it for loveing it…lol!well any way i LOVE eclips! .p.s. i think the moral was every insignifigant thing is very signifigant!
I didn’t read the entire statement above^ just enough to get the point that you hated that the movie randomly threw in a 9/11 clip to kill Tyler. Honestly, it’s what really happened. No one knew at the time that planes would hit the World Trade Center. I agree with Alex in that it just made the movie all that more powerful. Car accidents happen everyday. 9/11 was a monumental time in history that everyone will remember as a tragedy. I don’t know where I’m going with this, but I believe Remember Me was an amazing movie with a great message and a touching ending.
still dont know how he died :S
I know it have something to do with 9/11 but thats all …
Can someone tell me? Blonde sorry lol..
I believe that this movie did do 9 11 respect, it showed us that those people had lives and people they loved and loved them and that they too touched peoples lives, it shows they will never be forgotten that they live forever through their family and their actions and choices made in their time of living. Its true they played on the raw emotion 9 11 would envoke out of the audience but how else do you get someone to really pay attention to the meaning and your point that you are making, you dont get someone to listen by just saying “Hey you, dont take anything for granted you never know when it will end” yeah theyd agree but more than likely theyd brush it off. Using something as horrific as 9 11 literally shoved it in our faces and forced us to see that life is not endless and it doesnt always happen on time when your journey is complete. Take responsibility for your life and live it, make in impact because you cant depend on others to do that for you. And you can get mad at them for using 9 11 as their bait so to speak, but thats like telling producers not to do a movie on WW2 or any other war or terrible event in time, just because we dont talk about it doesnt mean it didnt happen, and I for one hope that people never stop talking about 9 11, it is a reminder for us that no matter what we do there is no safe net to keep us from the darkness in this world. I believe them showing the audience this message with 9 11 does show those victims respect in that we will remember them bringing life to those people. You can be criptic on this all you have to be and feel what you feel, but you cant say they used it cheaply or wrongly. When you do a seminar in school or take a class to be a cop/doctor anything, they show you videos of the bodies and accidents to force it into your head that it is real and its not just something you see in the movies…life happens. This movie did a fantastic job letting us know this, and you talking about this proves my point on it, you couldnt stop thinking about those victims or the effect it would have on the families which shows that it worked into your heart. I do applaud you for letting your oppinions and feelings known, otherwise this discussion wouldnt have occured with all these fine people who also took the interest and did the same.