A Formal Defense of Robert Pattinson - Movie Review: Remember Me

REVIEW:
I wasn't going to make a blog post out of this, but Remember Me was very surprising in many ways. I went into it with low expectations. I thought it was going to be a regular boy meets girl, girl changes boy, they fall in love, there's trouble, then everything gets fixed and it ends happily ever after. Mostly I just expected this film to be another excuse for Summit to flaunt the mug that is Robert Pattinson and get lots of money from teeny girls who can't get enough of him.


I was impressed to find that the plot was much deeper and more complicated than what I expected. It was deeper look into the lives of people living in NYC and all trying to keep their heads above water after having experienced real trauma in their lives. It was sad and provoking. The entire time each character is searching for hope and happiness, and just as it seems they are on their way to FINALLY achieving it, the ending happens, and I was literally speechless. I definitely did not see the ending coming. Not to mention how shocked I was that no one had ruined or even hinted at the ending before I had seen the movie. It was a shrewd but nice move by the writers, and a shocking snap-to-reality to any viewer just out to kill time by watching eye-candy for 2 hours.

It definitely jolted my perspective. Even though it was absolutely not what I had expected, and kind of pissed me off with how it made me feel when I really just wanted to relax and eat the pastry I snuck into the movie via my giant purse, I loved the movie. It truly affected me, and that's the mark of something special, in my opinion.

DEFENSE:


It's obvious that Robert Pattinson is one of those UBER famous guys that a lot of people either love or hate, and it's not even all his fault. A lot of girls ONLY love him because he's Edward Cullen and have deluded themselves into believing he really IS Edward Cullen. Another group of people ONLY hate him because he's Edward Cullen and they can't stand all the hype. Either way, neither of these groups have based anything on Robert Pattinson, himself. It's all about the illusion and stigma created by the Twilight saga, and I have a sneaking suspicion that no matter what the RPattz-ideology, Robert is uncomfortable with both.

It's hard when you get stuck under a label as an actor. It's hard for the general public to see you any other way (which is a sad commentary in itself about how close minded and judgmental most people are, but that's another blog post entirely). And being stuck under a label like "Dreamy Vamp" doesn't seem like one that is or will be easily shaken off. (photo from GQ)

That's when the 3rd group of RPattz commentaries come in. There are those, who can see past the type-cast, and judge him based on his talent. Now, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't one of those people who has been seriously annoyed at Robert Pattinson and his boring and slightly confusing portrayal of Edward Cullen in Twilight. He's stoic... he's stoic... he's angsty... he's angsty... then he makes out. That about covers it. It's easy with all of the fuss over him in that role to start to wonder: "What the HECK is the big deal about this kid?" Beyond his beautifully sculpted cheek-bones, is there anything more there?

Declaration: I believe there is. I have to be honest and say that, yes, after 2 and a half years of Twilight craze surrounding me and filling up my days (as I do teach freshmen English), it was easy for me to fall in with the rest of the haters and just say "Gah, he's a pretty face with little talent. Just like K-stew and her awful attitude. Only her face isn't as pretty." (Was that harsh? I'm ok with it.) But seeing Robert in this Remember Me role made me double back, and perhaps, just perhaps, I am about to formally eat my words.

In the world of Twilight, where there is nothing if not skin-deep sentiment, it's easy to do a bad job on screen because the script doesn't demand any more of the actor. It was eye-opening to see Robert in a role with actual DEPTH, where his character is full of angst, but actually HAS A REASON to be that way. There were levels to his Remember Me character, Tyler, and it was fascinating to watch him being peeled away slowly throughout the film.

Robert's portrayal was explosive. This character allowed him to stretch his legs and an actor and explore HUMAN emotions that many people in the real world can relate to and understand. And he does it in a way that is genuine and profound. When given a good script with a good story, Robert proves that he has much more potential and range than what is displayed in Twilight.

As for Robert as a person, I've always found him to be nothing if not completely awkward in interviews, which has never changed, even after he's acquired massive fame. To me, this is endearing but I think that comes off as him being a douche bag to some people. To be honest, I think it's just him in his hatred for having to do interviews and appearances because he's not that great at them, especially now, knowing that millions of crazy fans are watching him. He's not the suave and charismatic actor. He's shy and introverted and most of the time he says things that either get him in trouble (ie. the recent comment to 'Details Magazine'), or things that don't completely make sense. I actually like that his fame makes him act out in this way, rather than other ways we've seen in the past from actors of his age. Such as, becoming a jackass, womanizing, and getting addicted to some sort of illegal substance. So far, so good with Rob.

It is for all these reasons that I think it's a shame that so many people have and will continue to judge him based on his role as Edward Cullen. It makes me sad to think that in many people's minds, he is type-cast as the sullen Cullen: the brooding "emo" vamp with no personality. That isn't all he can do, and he deserves to be given a chance to prove that. Hopefully his role in Remember Me will have surprised enough people to have some of the Twilight-stigma removed, but only time will tell, along with the types of role choices he makes in the future.

And just for kicks, my favorite role of Rob's: Cedric Diggory from Harry Potter. CUTE video! Before the fame. Love it.