Reminiscence parents guide

Reminiscence Parent Guide

The movie's derivative, but it does manage to produce some interesting moments.

Overall B-

In Theaters and HBO Max: Nick Bannister helps his clients find and relive their old memories. But when one of his clients goes missing, he's forced to decide how far he'll go to hold on to the past.

Release date August 20, 2021

Violence C
Sexual Content B-
Profanity C
Substance Use C

Why is Reminiscence rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Reminiscence PG-13 for strong violence, drug material throughout, sexual content and some strong language

Run Time: 148 minutes

Parent Movie Review

While operating a memory-retrieval service in the flooded ruins of Miami, Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) met a woman who changed his life. Although Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) only came in to find her house keys, she and Nick found a whirlwind romance which ended abruptly with Mae’s disappearance. Since she left, Nick has spent all his time reliving his memories of their time together, trying to find clues as to her current whereabouts. But living in the past has its own hazards, and Nick’s going to have to do some investigating in the present to find the love of his life.

The biggest problem with this movie is that it is frequently overwrought. The dialogue ranges between perfectly acceptable to something perhaps best recognizable from melodramatic high school love letters. Now, I realize that neo-noir dialogue can get a little florid, but it tends to distract from the story. It’s hard to be invested when I’m cringing and trying to rewrite the dialogue in my head.

That isn’t the only issue with Reminiscence, but it is the largest one. The film is fairly derivative, taking obvious inspiration from other science fiction movies, but I actually don’t mind that. I think the filmmakers managed to put an interesting enough aesthetic on top of those stories to make the movie fun in spite of its other flaws.

Parents have surprisingly little to worry about here. The violence is brief and not particularly graphic, and the profanity is not terribly explicit either – and pleasantly free of sexual expletives. There are some passionate romantic scenes, some of which have clearly implied sexual intercourse, but there is no graphic nudity, bringing the film in at the high end of the PG-13 spectrum.

Look, this production isn’t going to blow your socks off. Reminiscence spends too much time in a sandbox full of other movies’ toys, and those constant similarities could easily prove irritating to a familiar audience. If that doesn’t bother you, the purple prose slipping into the dialogue probably will. But if you can muscle your way through those issues, I think there’s enough here to be worth watching if you’re a fan of the genre. If nothing else, it should remind you of the good times you’ve had with the films from which it borrows.

Directed by Lisa Joy. Starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton. Running time: 148 minutes. Theatrical release August 20, 2021. Updated

Watch the trailer for Reminiscence

Reminiscence
Rating & Content Info

Why is Reminiscence rated PG-13? Reminiscence is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for strong violence, drug material throughout, sexual content and some strong language

Violence: Several people are shot and stabbed. One character is stabbed through the eye with a needle. A person commits suicide and another attempts it. A man is severely burned. A man’s head is pushed underwater in a fish tank.
Sexual Content: There are a few scenes containing implied nudity, with nothing shown below the shoulder. A couple are seen kissing passionately but remain clothed. There is implied sexual activity but without explicit nudity. Women are seen wearing skimpy clothing in sexual contexts. Men are seen shirtless in sexual contexts. A woman takes off her dress while standing in front of a man: there is no graphic nudity.
Profanity: There are 21 uses of scatological profanity and occasional uses of mild profanities and terms of deity.
Alcohol / Drug Use: Individuals are shown drinking socially. A highly addictive fictional drug is shown and used on screen. A sedative is injected into people’s necks. People discuss alcoholism.

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Reminiscence Parents' Guide

The world in which this story takes place has clearly seen better days, but a flooded Miami is not as unlikely as you might like to believe. What are some changes we can expect to see in the near future as a result of the ongoing climate crisis? What measures could be taken to mitigate the damage from these changes? How are political leaders responding to these events?

SeaLevelRise.Org: Florida’s Sea Level Is Rising

The Guardian: “The water is coming”: Florida Keys faces stark reality as seas rise

 

Loved this movie? Try these books…

There are several references in the film to The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Noir fans may enjoy The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler.

Home Video

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This film was obviously influenced by Inception, Minority Report, Total Recall (or the vaguely terrible remake, Total Recall (2012)), Blade Runner (or the sequel, Blade Runner 2049), and noir or neo-noir films like Motherless Brooklynor The Maltese Falcon.