I think Memento is overrated.

Just saw this today, finally.

And yes, I know there’s another thread going about it, but I didn’t want to interrupt the discussion about “what it all means” to say I don’t think it really means anything, and yes it’s a clever idea done in an interesting fashion, but I completely fail to understand the fawning accolades that seem to accompany every mention of its name.

I read through all the spoilers threads (after seeing it) and finally came to the conclusion that any interpretation requires such a suspension of disbelief as to make the entire thing seem somewhat ridiculous.

Two hours of reasonable entertainment, nothing more nothing less, get a life folks.

Am I alone here?

Just “two hours of reasonable entertainment?” Pal, after watching “A.I.” and “Evolution” and “Pearl Harbor” and “Final Fantasy” this summer, “two hours of reasonable entertainment” is cause for a freakin’ national holiday.

You know, it’s been weeks since “Memento” came out, and in all the posts I’ve read about the movie (which I thought was great, BTW), we haven’t heard from ruadh.

I wonder what he thinks of it.

Sorry. I didn’t want to resist an easy joke. Even if RickJay stepped in too quick. Shouldn’t have previewed. . .

I’m sure Memento would be good if you’re used to seeing crap, but I don’t go to crap films, I expect the ones I see to be good. Memento I expected to be brilliant - that’s what everyone was saying about it. The fact that it was just good is what disappointed me.

And I’m a “she”, pesch, TVM.

I saw Memento about six months ago in New York and I thought it was really damn good. I thought it made me think, which many movies do not, but I must say it didn’t stick in my head for the next few months like Requiem for a Dream did.

Erek

Ah yes, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. Speaking of overrated movies…

Requiem for a Dream and Memento were both above average movies because they didn’t rely on stock studio formulas. They were art. They were self expression. They were original concepts, in either their story or the way in which that story was told, accompanied by (in my view) outstanding performances.

That’s my opinion. Ruahd, I’d tear you a new on if I hadn’t just met you and actually kind of liked you. But really, you need a movie appreciation adjustment.

Out of curiosity, which movies this year would you tout?

I’m not sure I’ve even seen any this year, JB. I don’t get to the cinema very often anymore. I usually do tend to go for arthouse type films, though. Memento sounded like it would be right up my alley.

Hmmm… any concrete criticism of the film? Any specifics that bothered you?

I don’t mean to be picking on you, ruadh, but I just got through four years of film school and the one thing that I came out of there with is that it’s really hard to have a discussion critiquing a film through using generalizations. I may or may not share views with you on it, but I just can’t tell what your views are yet. Care to elaborate?

I was in Paris last year and finally saw a Van Gough in person. Just some ground up pigments, mixed with oil, spread on woven plant fibers.
It was ok, but it doesn’t match my couch. Get a life, folks.

:rolleyes:

I’m not necessarily even trying to critique the film. A lot of my disappointment is based on my visceral reaction to it - I just don’t feel as overwhelmed by it as I thought I would, and as everyone else apparently was. There were a few specifics that bothered me though (at this point I guess I better put in some spoiler space) …

I still don’t think anyone’s come up with a satisfactory explanation of how Lenny was able to remember that he had this condition. And I reluctantly had to agree that the diabetic wife must have been his and not Sammy’s, because I can’t think of any reason Teddy would have told him that if it weren’t true, but again I have seen no good explanation for Lenny’s memories of that incident either. (And there’s no point your trying to explain them to me, unless you’re saying something that hasn’t already been said in the spoiler threads - I’ve read them all and am not satisfied with any of them.)

That’s why I said I think this film requires too much suspension of disbelief - which doesn’t make it a bad film, but does IMHO make all the debate it’s provoked rather pointless. It was a neat idea, it was very well acted (Teddy in particular was superb) but … I just don’t think it was anything really special.

Oh yeah warmgun, saying I didn’t think a recent film was all that is exactly like saying a Van Gogh is just a bunch of pigments that don’t match my couch. Can I borrow your :rolleyes: for a minute?

Sorry I’m not crazy about the film, but try not to take it personally OK?

I loved Memento!
And Van Gogh sucks!
:smiley:

Keep it. Here’s a few more :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:, looks like you could use them.
Not surprisingly, you missed the point of my post.
I’m far from taking it personally.
You must of missed the part about this not being a documentery. It’s fiction. And it’s a movie makers job to provoke a reaction from his viewers. It’s called job security.
Movies aren’t made to be taken apart line by line. When they are (being fiction and contrived), they start coming apart. But some people like to do it anyway. It’s fun for them. Some people golf.
You don’t have to like the movie, I respect that. Just don’t rag on those of us who do by suggesting we have no life. That was the point of my post.

I thought Memento was a fantastic movie. I guess there’s just no accounting for taste. I see in other threads there are actually people who liked Fight Club; maybe they’re the same folks who didn’t like Memento. Maybe there’s a whole anti-matter group of folks out there that just like sucking-stuff and are alergic to the really fine. I wonder if we’d explode if we met.

Don’t worry ruadh, you are not alone. I agree, Memento is overrated. And because I like playing amateur film critic, I’ll try and explain why.

I suppose I’ll put a SPOILER WARNING here, just in case.

First of all, I do think it was a good film, but not a great film. It was an interesting idea and a fairly good execution. Telling the story backwards did make me think, and I like to think.

But…

I was left with the feeling that all the other aspects of the film were tailor made to support the backwards story and surprise ending. Take the characters. While interesting, at no time did I feel they were real people reacting in a genuine manner to an unusual situation. I almost felt like they were slaves to an intricate plot that requires them to do certain things (and remember certain things) to achieve the Big Payoff.

So - while I liked the obvious stuff, many of the details that were supposed to support the story fell flat. It all came across as someone’s film school art project.

The way I see it, the tattoo “Remember Sammy Jankis” on his hand was the way he reminded himself of his condition. Had he not known of someone who had anterograde memory loss prior to his accident, then you’d be right. Also, he said that he can learn simply through repetition, the way Sammy couldn’t. So every time he feels disoriented, every time he forgets where he is, he instinctively looks at his hand, which reminds him of his condition.

Of course, to believe this you also have to believe that Sammy Jankis was real, and not just an invention of Leonard’s mind.

That’s the standard explanation all right. But I don’t find it believable that seeing Jankis’s name would be enough to “remind” himself of his condition, just like that.

I’m one of those referred to as taking it apart piece-by-piece, and this is one movie in which it does hold up. As much effort and detail as I have put into my analysis, I don’t think I’d call it a great movie. Yet. You see, I think in order for a movie to be considered truly great, it must stand up over time. The China Syndrome, Kramer vs. Kramer and Ordinary People are all very good movies that come up short of greatness because they have lost some of their power over time. I loved Memento and I suspect that it will be a movie that will last, but it’s still too close to know. As of now, it’s on my list of top 10 for 2001.

Still, I understand what you mean. I have the same reaction to The Usual Suspects and Fight Club, which are similarly complex narratives that many love and love to analyze in excrutiating detail. I like both movies, but cannot quite grasp the allure they have for devotees.

I think Lenny would probably notice that something was wrong with his memory even if he had no reminder of his condition at all. He just wouldn’t know the exact nature of the problem or what its cause was (other than perhaps his head injury, which he could remember receiving). So, Lenny knows there’s something wrong with his mind. He looks at his hand and sees the “Remember Sammy Jankis” tattoo. Oh, he thinks, I must have the same problem as Sammy Jankis.

It’s still a bit iffy, but not completely unbelievable.