Remember Me trailer (courtesy of YouTube)

It’s no secret that the oh-so-hunky Robert Pattinson will send teenage girls into a swoon with his latest flick, “Remember Me.” The film is a dramatic, angst-filled love story with Pattinson opposite Emile de Ravin (known best for her “Lost” fame), set in New York City in the summer of 2001.

Despite the predictable and somewhat offensive backdrop, this film does have heart, and will leave audience members feeling for these characters, and wanting them to overcome all their inner melodrama.

Tyler Hawkins, played by Pattinson, is a rebellious, chain smoking and emotionally damaged student at New York University. Pattinson shows a different side of himself than people are used to seeing him in the Twilight films. Not only does he have more color in his cheeks, but he has much more feeling and passion in his delivery. This passion is most prominent in the scenes opposite his big business man father, played by the ever-charming Pierce Brosnan. The two have had a rocky relationship ever since Tyler’s older brother committed suicide years prior.

Tyler rides around on his bike from his beloved job at the local bookstore to his grungy old apartment wondering if there is anyone that will truly understand him and his emotional baggage. He and his goofy best pal Aidan, played by Tate Ellington, have a drunken run in with a hard-ass New York City police officer, played by the great Chris Cooper.

They later come to find out that cop in fact has an adorable, spunky daughter (de Ravin), also a student at NYU. She is finally the one who can handle all of Tyler’s drama and distress. Cue the hot, emotional romance.

Ally (de Ravin) has her own internal agony to deal with – witnessing a mugging when she was 10. She’s caring and loyal to both Tyler and her father, providing a great foundation for a heartbreaking, emotionally distressful courtship.

When Ally later realizes that her new beau and her father have a previously encountered, all hell breaks loose.

Yes, the story and the dialogue get a little too cheesy at points, but there are some redeeming qualities, such as Tyler’s adorable, wise beyond her years, little sister Caroline, played by Ruby Jerins. The duos’ relationship is enough to make even the most cynical cry out with an “awww” or two.

There are certainly some scenes that will have you hooked – such as Tyler and Ally going to a carnival on their first date, or Caroline’s encounters with the mean girls in her class. And of course, multiple scenes with a shirtless Pattinson are sure to get the attention of many audience members.

Overall, “Remember Me” gets its message across, which is to live in the moments and don’t let anything pass you by in life. Audience members may get annoyed with the cornucopian amounts of angst and emotional hardships; but even those who go in with a skeptical eye will certainly be holding back tears in the final scene.

Julie Holbrook can be reached at [email protected].