Memento (2000)
95%RT Audience Score: 94%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
57 wins & 59 nominations total
Christopher Nolan skillfully guides the audience through Memento’s fractured narrative, seeping his film in existential dread.
Memento is like a puzzle that you can’t help but want to solve. It’s a movie that messes with your head in the best way possible. The backwards storytelling and frozen man gimmicks may sound confusing, but they come together to create a unique and thrilling experience. Plus, Guy Pearce’s performance is absolutely astounding. It’s no wonder this movie put Christopher Nolan on the map as a filmmaking force. If you’re in the mood for a brain-teasing mystery, Memento is the perfect choice. Just be prepared to watch it multiple times to fully appreciate its brilliance.
Production Company(ies)
Newmarket Capital Group Team Todd I Remember Productions,
Distributor
Newmarket Film Group
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Burbank, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence, language and some drug content
Year of Release
2001
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 5, 2000 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 4, 2001
Genre(s)
Mystery & Thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Stephen Tobolowsky, Harriet Sansom Harris, directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, mystery, thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Adam Kempenaar, Joshua Rothkopf, Joe Morgenstern, Jack Mathews, Anthony Lane, Scott Tobias, Amy Bracken Sparks, Fico Cangiano, Mike Massie, Tom Meek, Richard Propes, Siddhant Adlakha, R rating, memory loss, revenge, nonlinear narrative, existential dread, fractured narrative, psychological film noir, mind games, intellectual exercise, labyrinthine editing, Christopher Nolan’s breakthrough, Guy Pearce’s astounding performance, Carrie-Anne Moss’s phenomenal acting, Jonathan Nolan’s short story, Suzanne Todd’s production, Jennifer Todd’s production, Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital, Scope (2.35:1)
Worldwide gross: $40,047,078
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $67,490,878
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,205
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 7,359,965
US/Canada gross: $25,544,867
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $43,050,469
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,135
US/Canada opening weekend: $235,488
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $396,865
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,461
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $9,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $15,167,596
Production budget ranking: 1,509
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $8,167,750
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $44,155,531
ROI to date (est.): 189%
ROI ranking: 652
Carrie-Anne Moss – Natalie
Joe Pantoliano – Teddy
Mark Boone Junior – Burt
Stephen Tobolowsky – Sammy
Harriet Sansom Harris – Mrs. Jankis
Director(s)
Christopher Nolan
Writer(s)
Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan
Producer(s)
Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
57 wins & 59 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (179) | Top Critics (51) | Fresh (167) | Rotten (12)
Think of all the ways that a linear film structure stabilizes us – the cause and effect chain of events. But Memento is about a character completely destabilized, so Nolan destabilizes us accordingly in a way maybe no other movie has.
April 10, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Adam Kempenaar
Filmspotting
TOP CRITIC
Memento would only be half as fun with only one gimmick or the other. Instead, the backward storytelling and the frozen man make for a wonderful pair, combining into something far more redemptive than it sounds.
March 16, 2020
Joshua Rothkopf
In These Times
TOP CRITIC
I can’t remember when a movie has seemed so clever, strangely affecting and slyly funny at the very same time.
March 26, 2014
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
TOP CRITIC
Writer-director Christopher Nolan’s second film is one of the most original and ultimately confounding mind games to reach the screen since The Usual Suspects.
March 26, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
The young British writer and director Christopher Nolan, who has every intention of putting us through the mill, doubles his fun by running the whole story backward.
March 26, 2014
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
The astonishing payoff takes the film to another level entirely, unleashing a battery of existential questions that shed new light on everything that precedes it.
March 26, 2014
Scott Tobias
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
Directed by Christopher Nolan based on a short story by his brother, Jonathan Nolan, this is an intellectual exercise that’s unlike anything you’ve seen lately.
October 26, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Amy Bracken Sparks
Cleveland Free Times
A nifty puzzle worth assembling. The film that put Nolan on the map. A psychological film noir breakthrough. [Full review in Spanish]
January 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
Although the plot itself isn’t terribly complex, the editing is so labyrinthine that multiple viewings are almost certainly necessary.
November 6, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
The brain-teasing mystery put Christopher Nolan on the map as a filmmaking force…
September 18, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
Pearce is positively astounding.
September 16, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Nolan’s winding timelines and practical stunts are marvels to behold, but they seldom compare to the slow push-in on Leonard’s face, as brief but powerful bursts of memory envelop the screen.
August 27, 2020
Siddhant Adlakha
IGN Movies…
Plot
Memento chronicles two separate stories of Leonard, an ex-insurance investigator who can no longer build new memories, as he attempts to find the murderer of his wife, which is the last thing he remembers. One story line moves forward in time while the other tells the story backwards revealing more each time.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Guy Pearce gives an underrated performance as a damaged and troubled survivor out for revenge in Memento.
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