Review of Memento

I can't remember what i was supposed to like about this film

You know those plays that intentionally bore you to death to make a point about the existential futility of life? Take WAITING FOR GODOT, which makes its audience sit there scratching their heads wondering why they need to watch two pathetic old hobos talk under a tree about nothing for two hours. Well, that's what i felt about MEMENTO -- all the self-consciously contrived structural artifice overwhelmed every other aspect of the film. In my perhaps unevolved and pedestrian mind, the artfully reconstituted story structure became the main focus of the film and interfered with my ability to ingest the actual story itself. Granted, a little skillful time-shifting can be an intriguing device and often serves to heighten an audience's curiosity as they try to connect the dots, but this film presented me with nothing short of a major headache as i struggled to solve its puzzle after a brutal week at the office. I know, I know...everyone loved this film and it did terrific business for a little indie, but when i go to the movies i like to be transported to another place, and MEMENTO presented me with a brain teaser that took me nowhere except to my backpack for an extra strength advil. I applaud the filmmaker for his creativity, but I found it ultimately unsatisfying. Perhaps that says more about me than the film.

Posted on 01/21/08 by: filbertguy 07:12 PM