Seems there is a lot of controversy over the ending of Remember Me.   Moviefone has a great article about it, which you can read below. If you want to chime in with your opinion, feel free!

While it might have initially seemed like Robert Pattinson’s latest movie, ‘Remember Me,’ would be generating controversy and debate over whether it proves that the ‘Twilight’ star has real acting chops, it has actually caused a big stir among critics and audiences because of its incredibly dramatic (and some feel overwrought) final minutes.
Its big twist seems to be overshadowing the rest of the picture for some and is undoubtedly drawing attention away from the fact that, despite its low 27% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film features solid performances from Pattinson and co-star Emilie de Ravin (’Lost’).

(SPOILER ALERT! If you have not seen the film and do not want to know the ending, read no further as the climax is revealed and discussed in detail below.)

In the film, Pattinson plays Tyler, a troubled NYU student who lives in a grungy Manhattan apartment despite coming from an affluent home. He is coping with the loss of his older brother, who committed suicide, and when he meets a fellow student named Ally (de Ravin), who saw her mother gunned down by a mugger when she was 5, he finds an equally damaged soulmate. The two both have family issues to contend with — her overprotective cop father (Chris Cooper), his emotionally estranged lawyer father (Pierce Brosnan) — as well as the fact Tyler dated Ally initially on a mean-spirited dare from an obnoxious friend (which blows up in his face when he actually falls for her).

By the climax of the film, a lot of family bonding has ensued, and the two lovers have started to heal the rift between them. Then, when Tyler is waiting for his father in his law office (on their own way to making amends), we see him looking out of the window, hopefully. The camera cranes back, and we see that Tyler’s standing in one of The World Trade Center’s Twin Towers. It’s then spelled out — literally, on a chalkboard in his little sister’s classroom — that the date is Sept. 11, 2001, and it’s obvious what’s going to happen next. When the devastation comes, it is implied rather than graphically depicted. Still, the event packs ‘Remember Me’ with a big wallop that has infuriated some viewers and moved others.

Critics have vastly different opinions about the film’s jarring denouement:

Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers declared in his capsule review: “It’s all weepy drool until the twist ending, which is shockingly offensive.”

Lisa Kennedy of the Denver Post assessed: “The finale manages to be tasteful and exploitative at the same time. It touts forgiveness while being mildly infuriating. Such is the danger of borrowing from the enormous to merely entertain. If that. Forgettable should be the last thing a movie touching on the events of 9/11 should be. Yet ‘Remember Me’ is just that.”

Stephen Whitty of Newark’s Star-Ledger, who liked the film, revealed in his review: “Movie fans should know that the story takes an abrupt third-act twist and tacks on the sort of arbitrary, ’significant’ ending that’s better left to first-year creative-writing assignments.”

Rebecca Murray of About.com observed: “Even if you disapprove of just where the film goes, the story building up to the final climatic twist is moving and real.”

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times, who liked Pattinson’s performance, stated: “Along the way, many people die but few matter: most are just part of the warm-up act as well as the means to a shamelessly exploitative end.”

Boo Allen of the Denton Record Chronicle charged: “‘Remember Me’ wallows deepest in shame by concluding its treacly treatise by drawing on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in a final plea for emotion. Unforgivable.”

Audiences seem a little more forgiving. In the ‘Remember Me’ user reviews page on Moviefone, MissPink1189 writes, “This movie has definitely changed my life … Some say too soon for an ending like that, but it just makes the story that much better.” Jenniebruan22 wrote that she lives in New York, “and I didn’t find the end distasteful at all. In fact it made me see the movie in a much more profound way.” Says ARod73: “The surprise ending leaves a lasting [message] of living life with a purpose , embracing the small moments of happiness and not waiting to tell someone how you feel, tell them now.” Still, Dmachone thinks, “The ending of this movie is unbelievably out of line.”

It is understandable that some people found the ending shocking — there are many New Yorkers and those beyond who lost someone in the 9/11 tragedy — but when critics use words like “unforgivable” and “offensive,” it not only condemns the filmmakers of outright exploitation and tastelessness, but it seems to render the subject taboo in some manner. While for most people the ending will come as a shock, it does add some emotional impact to the story. Could a smaller tragedy have sufficed in place of the Twin Tower collapse? Probably, but somehow utilizing an event that all of us feel connected to adds further impact to the story, and it also contemplates the idea of how many other deeply interwoven stories ended on that fateful day, and what they were like.

One can argue that the inclusion of 9/11 is unnecessary and insensitive, and that such a major public trauma did not need to be part of the film’s more intimate story. One could also argue that the film does not linger long on or exploit images of the devastation. We do not see the planes hit the towers, but we do see the smoldering buildings from a distance and watch most of the film’s characters looking towards downtown Manhattan in horror, knowing that Tyler is trapped there. We see his diary landing amid the rubble. The events are not used to make a political statement, but a personal one, although they are rendered within an unexpected plot twist that has left many people feeling uneasy or angry.

The filmmakers undoubtedly knew their ending would be polarizing, and Summit Entertainment took a gamble with it. A safe bet would have been to film a less controversial finale. By the same token, ‘Remember Me’ focuses on the tragedy that befalls us when we live our lives full of conflict, anger and bitterness and fail to appreciate the happy and joyous moments when they come — or to learn to forgive, make amends and move forward with our lives. And how many of us appreciated those sentiments more after the horrifying shock of 9/11?

‘Remember Me’ is not the first and will certainly not be the last film to incorporate 9/11 into a cinematic storyline. Like most major tragedies and wartime events, it will undoubtedly be filtered through a pop culture lens well into the future. It is 2010, and we are still making movies about the Holocaust and WWII (for example), and some of them have certainly been politically incorrect and generated debate. Perhaps ‘Remember Me’ director Allen Coulter and screenwriter Will Fetters were thinking about this when they created this story and brought it to the screen. Or perhaps not. (Coulter has said he was initially tentative about using the ending.)

At least they have us talking, not only about the film’s message, but how we are still polarized by and dealing with the aftermath of a major catastrophic event. The emotional conflict that it has stirred is in keeping with the spirit of the film. Better that reaction than indifference.

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3. What Does Remember Me Mean for Robert Pattinson?
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5. Robert Pattinson Remember Me Chat on i-Tunes – Part 1 of 3

I felt the ending helped me understand the tragedy of that day so much more. Yes I saw the event unfold on tv, yes I felt for everyone who lost someone that day but just because I had the understanding of what happened did not mean I really fully felt the impact of it.

No one I knew was affected in any way by the September 11th attacks which I am forever grateful for, from this movie I really felt for each of the people that lost their lives that day. I let my emotions take over and for the first time I cried for those people. Not for Tyler or his made up family but for someone who stood there that day unknowingly looking out the window for the very last time.

I understand how sensitive this subject can be for people who lived there or lost someone so I hope that my take on it has not offended anyone.

I really LOVED this movie and the ending to this movie……I was crying like a baby! I was not expecting it and found it profoundly interesting! I am not American, but nonetheless I watched the horrific event just live every person in North America, and probably around the world! I was saddened by the event and thought of those victims many times since….
this story is a different perspective of the event….one story out of thousands….an amazing film, portrayed by amazing actors!

Deserves a standing ovation!!

Personally, I didn’t have an issue with the ending. I understand that it is a touchy subject, and obviously it still hurts to think about for so many people. But I also think that the way they did it was very tastefully done, and pulled at my heartstrings enough to make me tear up, but not enough to make me regret seeing it.

It’s all a matter of personal opinion, of course, and it may very well be different for a native New Yorker who actually witnessed these events first hand.

As an American who watched in horror in my sixth-grade classroom as these events unfolded, I find it a meaningful and touching way to incorporate such a widespread tragedy. That’s all I can really say.

I think the ending of the film was heartbreaking. And I understand where some of the critics are coming from when they say they feel like it shouldn’t be focused on the loss of one individual when so many people were lost that day I can imagine that every family that lost of loved one on that unforgettable day felt more pain and anger towards the one they lost. It’s called being human; I’m sure they were saddened by the loss of everyone but everyone goes through different stages of grieving and they can’t focus on the thought of everyone – but the one they lost. I think the actors did an incredible job especially Robert. I think leading up to the twist at the end was an awesome idea. I cried like a baby at the end of this movie because it had so much emotion & I didn’t cry just because of how it ended but because of how many people were lost on that day. This movie is gonna be – excuse my language – shit on for a long time. It is a touchy subject but the way it was put together was beautiful. (Sorry if this offended anyone!)

First, a major point needs correcting:
Ally was 11, not 5, when her mother was shot to death in front of her. Had she been five, then ten years later, when the bulk of the story takes place, Tyler would have had a completely different interaction with the police than he did.

Second, my opinion …
I saw the movie twice: once on Friday night, once on Saturday. I went on Friday to see the Eclipse trailer and stayed to see the movie. The next day, I did my part to support Remember Me Saturday. On Friday, I was expecting a nice, likable romantic drama that I would fall in love with and eagerly anticipate purchasing on DVD. I got drama, all right.

I was completely unprepared for the ending. My heart stopped beating when I realized where Tyler was standing. I didn’t realize I’d stopped breathing until I was gasping for breath through the tears that overflowed when the little sister got out of school and realized her brother wasn’t there. The heartbreak and tragedy stayed with me all the way home and through the night. When I watched the movie the next day, I cried throughout the film as I realized how bittersweet each moment was; I could not even see the screen through my tears at the end.

Yes, I’m emotional, but this film moved me like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I didn’t even think about its being exploitative or distasteful until I started reading reviews and reports after I’d seen it. I don’t see where those claims are coming from. The simple fact of the matter is that September 11, 2001, happened. We can’t take it back or make it go away. All of us were living our normal lives that morning, just as the people in the film were doing. Out of nowhere, we got sucker-punched from out of nowhere, and people died. It’s possible that there was a story very similar to Tyler’s that ended the very same way. It happened, people were affected. What’s wrong with allowing this historical fact to be used to tell a story? It was not being used as a marketing ploy – I didn’t even know about it until I saw it on the screen.

Like someone said in a comment previous to this one, I had no direct personal involvement in the events of 9/11. No one I knew died; no one I know even lives or works in the state of New York, much less the city. Yet, I felt for the people who did lose loved ones that day. However, not until Remember Me, when I developed a personal tie to the characters in the story, did I even begin to imagine what it must have felt like to have lost someone that day, to have lived there and seen in person what I only saw on television.

The article mentions the film leaving viewers angry or uneasy. I have to admit I was both, but not for the reason I infer from the article. I was uneasy because this was not the happy-ending-romance I was hoping for. Even if the relationship with the father didn’t pan out harmoniously, I was at least expecting the young lovers to end up happily ever after. Instead (and here comes the angry part), right as everything in Tyler’s life was beginning to look up – he made up with his girlfriend, he defended his sister against a rich witch of a classmate, he realized his father did love him and his siblings after all – his life was over. We don’t see it, but I think that makes it all the worse because we have to imagine it. When I close my eyes, I see him standing there in that window, not knowing that in mere moments he will be a whole lot closer to an airplane that he ever wanted to be and it won’t be a good thing.

And it’s over. The burgeoning romance – once again a girl has lost a loved one to a terrorist; the brother who slays dragons and loves unconditionally; the anticipation of a rekindling of ties between father and son. They are gone. All of them. That actually happened. How is it exploitative or distasteful to show that? For such a huge event that rocked our country and the world, only a small percentage of people actually experienced it. Remember Me is the perfect vessel for showing the complications of family love and how tenuous our grasp on life actually is. As Ally says, eat dessert first because an asteroid might strike during your entrée. Well, 9/11 was Tyler’s asteroid. I’d like to think he enjoyed his dessert.

I give this film eighteen thumbs up because (a) it made me cry (and that’s a good thing), (b) it has stayed with me days later, and (c) the message of love the little things in life when they happen is a good one and will stay with me forever.

Each generation has an event that defines that generation. It is from that place you become who you are; you vividly remember where you were and who was with you. It becomes etched into your subconscious, governing your actions and reactions for the rest of your life. For our younger Twilight fans, it is September 11, 2001.

Remember Me takes an unimaginable horror and weaves a story around it so moving it takes your breath away. Characters should always drive the plot. In Remember Me, they do. Each character has a hidden secret, making relationships on all levels difficult. Grief is paramount, and the ways of coping with that grief are what drives the plot.

I saw the planes fly into the buildings and I remember saying to my self what a beautiful day it was a 10. We were just going to work as always some people were early and some people were late. I

Remember and it is almost 10 years later.

The message of seize the day, live your life as if it were your last. Love and be loved.

“Our fingerprints never fade from the lives we touch”

As an executive producer Robert Pattinson got it, and presented it to us in a loving way.

A BEAUTIFUL MOVIE…

I saw the movie Friday morning, I liked it, I cried and I am still thinking about it. I don’t like sad endings, but I know that is part of the reason I am still thinking about the movie. But, sad ending or not, I wouldn’t be thinking about it at all if the actors weren’t able to make me care about their characters. Everytime I think about Tyler looking out the window of the Tower or his notebook in the ashes, I have to quickly think of something else to keep my eyes from tearing up. I am astonished that there has been any negative backlash about the 9/11 involvement. If a drunk driver sealed Tyler’s fate, I would still feel the same way about the movie. The 9/11 involvement was a twist of a twist. I can’t imagine anyone being able to use 9/11 in a movie story line in a more tastefull way. In my experience, since I cared about the Tyler character I was forced to think about what it was like to have someone in one of the towers. I think Robert Pattinson should be proud of his work in this film. I still prefer happy endings.

I anticipated the ending from the beginning of the film so I didn’t see it as a twist or shock. Where else could the story go given the setting and time frame. I didn’t know who would die but sensed that the violence at the beginning was a bookend to a story about young people in this decade who live with both the uncertainty and fear of our post 9/11 era. This event defines their generation as much as Vietnam and the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King defined mine. When I found out that the screenwriter was in his 20’s, it all made sense. He has the right to own and interpret the event of 9/11 as much as anyone else. The film’s portrayal was sensitive and brought home the theme of living each moment in the most impactful way possible. Without the 9/11 ending, this was just another love story and family drama.

I would think that anyone in their late teens and twenties (the so-called Millennials), would feel a connection to the themes in the story. Pattinson, Fetters, the producers and everyone who felt compelled to tell the story in the way it was told should be applauded.

I went to this movie on Sunday with my friends. I know a lot of people really enjoyed this movie and thought the ending was appropriate. I thought the movie was ok, but I was actually really unhappy about the ending. It dredged up too many bad memories of horrific events. If I had wanted to see a 9/11 movie, I would have paid to see a 9/11 movie. If I had known this was how it was going to end I would have passed on seeing it. I was so devastated by the ending that it was difficult for me to leave the theater.

Wow, Ginger and Carol you took the words straight out of my mouth, what you said is exactly what I’ve been trying not to think of since Saturday. Tyler’s book in the ashes…Tyler(Rob) staring contentedly out of the windows, not knowing of what is to come. It’s been a struggle for me since I saw the movie to not picture these things, to not think about what he may have been going through once the plane hit. The horror, the confusion he felt. It’s really too much, it makes me want to sob.

I am a navtive New Yorker, and no I wasn’t there that day, but more than half of my family was, and hearing their stories….the movie brought back all those emotions, but I’m not angry about it. I apprecaited it, because I think we should NEVER forget 9/11 and all the people who sacrificed their lives that day, all the innocent people who parrished.

To say that Remmember Me has expolited and used the event to make money is disgusting. If you know anything about Rob, if you are a true fan, then you’ll know that he is very sensitive and I think would never be involved with a project that was expolitive, much less be a executive producer. Which he did to make SURE the movie was done RIGHT!

In my humble opinion, I think it was. It ws a beautiful story about love, loss and never having any regrets! Live your life, as you never know. Debra, thanks for quoting the line about the fingerprints, that says it all. The movie is about someone leaving that imprint on your heart and mind, and honoring them by living like they would’ve wanted. Like Ally did at the end by getting on that train! Like Tyler’s father did by taking Caroline to the movies…..hello critics?! You all are missing the point!

All of this criticism is taking away from the awesome performances given by the actors. No one has even mentioned that at all, at least not in any review I’ve read since the movie premiered. The cast was spot on, the chemistry everyone had ws amazing. The actress who played Rob’s sister…wow! Please, let’s stop talking about how the 9/11 angle ruined the movie, it did not. It was very tastefull and sensitive. And just a way for the writer to get his ultimate point across: Remember. Remember Tyler and his family and therir happiness at having come together, remember their grief, remember 9/11 and the way it touched so many lives, remember the victims, the families, remember to LIVE. I will not soon forget this movie, the actors protrayl or the impact it has made on my life since seeing it. I WILL see it again, and I’ll cry everytime.

Joyce…I would like to know what you think.

After posting this yesterday, I saw the movie again, and I feel as if I now understand a little bit better what all of those people and their families have gone through. I wasn’t anywhere near the city on September 11th. As I said earlier, I was in my 6th grade classroom, watching a television, horrified that someone wanted me dead. I don’t think I’ve ever understood, until now, what exactly those people were feeling. I was upset because everyone around me was upset. I was nervous because I knew it was happening on American soil, so that meant that someone was trying to kill me.

The way they made this movie not a “9/11 movie” until the very end is exactly what everyone experienced on that day.

No one woke up in the morning, and said “I think something bad is going to happen on this beautiful day.”

Everyone got up, and went about their daily lives, lives which were normal and comfortable. This is exactly what Tyler does. What Ally does. What Caroline and her father do. They go about their daily lives.

Yes, their days are shattered by the events that take place, but isn’t that exactly what happened on 9/11? So I guess to me, it’s just accurately portraying the events of that day so that people who weren’t there on that day– people like me– can understand.

I can only thank the filmmakers for helping me to understand.

One more thing I have to say…the really heartbreaking thing for me was Rob’s voice over at the end. “……and I’m working on teh forever part.” I really lost it then. As you knew that Tyler really was finally happy, and he was going to be okay, he’d found his direction and it was Ally.

I saw the movie Saturday and cried through the evening, off and on. To me, it was a story of finding love, accepting who you are and living each and every day to the best of your ability, given your circumstances at any given moment in your life. I told my sister about it, and she said movies have been made about WW2, California earthquakes, Vietnam, etc. and it’s part of our history in this country. Unfortunatly, 9/11 is also part of our history, too. We should celebrate each day as a gift from God. I loved the movie and would not have changed one thing!