REMEMBER ME — ★ — Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Pierce Brosnan; rated PG-13 (violence, profanity, sex, vulgarity, slurs, brief drugs); in general release
The only distinguishing feature of the otherwise unmemorable and boring drama "Remember Me" is its ending.
And this is an ending for the ages — a conclusion that's so distasteful, crass and manipulative it should be illegal.
That may sound like an overreaction, but this shameless romantic drama tries to wring tears out of susceptible audiences by exploiting one of the most infamous, tragic moments in America's recent past.
The film also offers more proof of the less-than-impressive acting talents of "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson. He plays Tyler Hawkins, a brooding New York college student who's been unable to get over the suicide of his older brother.
Tyler is at odds with his aloof executive father, Charles (Pierce Brosnan), as well.
Even worse, Tyler has recently gotten into violent confrontation with an NYPD detective, Sgt. Neil Craig (Chris Cooper).
So he and his party-hearty roommate, Aidan (Tate Ellington), scheme to get their revenge by having Tyler date and dump the detective's daughter, Ally (Emilie de Ravin, from TV's "Lost").
However, Ally is not so easy to win over. She's guarded and careful, having watched her mother (Martha Plimpton) get gunned down by muggers 10 years earlier.
As misguided as some of this material is, it would be laughable and easy to dismiss. Again, that is if not for the finale.
Speaking of laughable, both Cooper and Brosnan adopt broad New York accents that make them sound like caricatures.
They're about the only thing to keep up from falling asleep during the bulk of this cinematic snoozer.
"Remember Me" is rated PG-13 and features some strong violent content (brawling and fisticuffs, a strangling, a shooting and violence against women), scattered strong profanity (including two uses of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), a pair of sex scenes (as well as other sexual contact), vulgar sexual references and off-color humor (a vomiting gag), derogatory language and slurs (some based on supposed disabilities), and brief drug references. Running time: 113 minutes.
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com