The Forgotten (2004)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writer (WGA):

Gerald Di Pego (written by)

Release Date:

24 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

You'll Never Forget The Ones You Love

Plot:

Told that their children never existed, a man and woman soon discover that there's a much bigger enemy at work.

Plot Keywords:

Parent Searches Child | River Rapids | Mother Searches Missing Daughter | Memory | Mind Game

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Julianne Moore	...	Telly Paretta
Christopher Kovaleski	...	Sam
Matthew Pleszewicz	...	Sam at 5
Anthony Edwards	...	Jim Paretta
Jessica Hecht	...	Eliot
Linus Roache	...	A Friendly Man
Gary Sinise	...	Dr. Jack Munce
Dominic West	...	Ash Correll
Katie Cooper	...	Library Clerk
Scott Nicholson	...	Cop
P.J. Morrison	...	Cop
Robert Wisdom	...	Carl Dayton
Tim Kang	...	Agent Alec Wong
Kathryn Faughnan	...	Lauren Correll
Alfre Woodard	...	Det. Anne Pope

Also Known As:

Stranger (Philippines: English title) (review title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, some violence and brief language.

Runtime:

91 min | USA:94 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38908) | Malaysia:U | Germany:12 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:PT | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

Zak Penn did uncredited revisions on the script.

Goofs:

Continuity: The seedy NYC motel has illuminated vending machines on either side of the entrance doors, yet in the morning (aerial shot) they are missing.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. Jack Munce: How much time did you spend at the dresser compared to last week?
Telly Paretta: Less.
Dr. Jack Munce: How much less?
Telly Paretta: I don't know exactly.
Dr. Jack Munce: You wanna make a guess, roughly, for the week?
Telly Paretta: Oh, not even an hour a day.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008) (V)

Finally, a thriller in 2004 that delivers

Now THIS is what I want from a thriller. I had high hopes for this movie, and for the most part it delivers. The story grabs you from the start, and what I like is that nothing is revealed too soon. The movie pulls you along and keeps things nice and subtle until BAM it hits you with an uppercut. The pace smooths out and then WHAM, a right hook to the jaw. Pretty much the same method my mom used to employ to keep me on my toes.

The big mystery surrounds Telly's son. She clearly remembers him, and she has a difficult time dealing with his apparent death. About a year ago, he boarded a plane that was bound for camp, but the plane was never heard from again. Soon, all evidence of her son's existence begins to disappear. His image has vanished from a picture, photo albums are now empty, and a home video shows nothing but static.

Is somebody trying to mess with Telly's memory? Is her husband (Edwards) in on it? What is her shrink's involvement? Is she crazy, or is it everybody else around her who's lost it? Has Anthony Edwards started to regret leaving ER yet? Or am I confusing him with Julianna Margulies?

When Telly meets up with Ash Correll (West), she realizes that he's forgotten about his daughter, who was also on the plane with her son. It's at this point she's convinced that she isn't crazy, so she seeks to find out exactly what is going on. I love how the characters don't know who they can trust, and neither does the audience. Even characters who are attempting to help must be looked at with suspicion. You are to question everybody at all times!

The acting is very solid. You won't find my name in any Julianne Moore fan clubs (although I was once a member of the Bon Jovi Secret Society), but I have to admit she does a very good job here. And I'd never seen Dominic West before (because I typically avoid snoozers such as Mona Lisa Smile like Richard Simmons avoids women), but I thought he was great. Both characters react in situations exactly like you want them to. They're two distraught parents trying to find out what happened to their children, and they're willing to do what it takes. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that.

I definitely recommend you see this at the theater because there are two jump scenes that quite simply have to be seen on the big screen and heard with the best sound system possible. I'm talking two of the better jump scenes I've seen in a while. Stephanie doesn't jump much (even at times when I'm hoppin' like a giddy school girl), but she was even jolted out of her seat. Well, she didn't literally go flying out of her seat like a circus freak, but you know what I mean. One of the scenes caused her to jump and clench my arm. Poor thing hurt her hand on my bicep though.

Comparisons to The X-Files and The Twilight Zone are accurate, but don't listen to the movie snobs claiming it feels like a "mediocre" episode of one of the two. Keep in mind, this isn't the kind of thriller that will have you trying to figure out the plot for days afterward. It's not gonna make you think like Memento, and it's not gonna shock you or disturb you like The Butterfly Effect. It's simply gonna keep you guessing and entertained.

THE GIST

The Forgotten is a solid thriller that delivers a good mystery and some of the best jump scenes I've seen in a while. If you wanna cause yourself heartache and nitpick over some minor plot holes, then go ahead and be a little curmudgeon. But what's the point? Allow yourself to be entertained for an hour and a half. It won't hurt. This is a very good date movie, but guys, do a few reps beforehand because your gal might be grabbing your arm quite a bit, and it's best if that's not an embarrassing situation for you.