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The Forgotten

Play trailer Poster for The Forgotten PG-13 Released Sep 24, 2004 1h 31m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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31% Tomatometer 170 Reviews 36% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
In "The Forgotten," Julianne Moore stars as Telly Paretta, a grieving mother struggling to cope with the loss of her 8-year-old son. She is stunned when her psychiatrist (Gary Sinise) reveals that she has created eight years of memories about a son she never had. But when she meets a man (Dominic West) who has had a similar experience, Telly embarks on a search to prove her son's existence, and her sanity.
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Critics Consensus

The premise grows too ridiculous to take seriously.

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Critics Reviews

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David Ansen Newsweek The real suspense is in seeing just how far out Gerald Di Pego's script is going to go, as this paranoid thriller leaps to the supernatural. It's poppycock, but well directed: Ruben delivers two or three guaranteed jolts. Mar 13, 2018 Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media Creepy thriller not for faint of heart. Rated: 2/5 Dec 28, 2010 Full Review Steven D. Greydanus Decent Films What the father-son bond was to Frequency… mother love is to The Forgotten, a "Twilight Zone" / "X-Files"-esque thriller with a pro-life twist. Rated: B- Feb 3, 2005 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews An undemanding but somewhat entertaining mumbo-jumbo thriller, but not one to be remembered as good. Rated: C+ May 7, 2019 Full Review Mark Halverson Sacramento News & Review Rated: 2/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Who wants to see -- or remember -- a wildly implausible thriller that's also grim and humorless? Rated: D Feb 13, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Claudio C The Forgotten (2004) The Alternate Ending in the DVD Is Better and Better (11,873 – 24 Jun 2005 / 02 Aug 2025 – by Claudio Carvalho) Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore) is a mother who cannot forget her nine years son Sam, who died in a plane crash. When the memory of Sam is erased from the persons close to her, including her husband, Telly investigates. She finds Ashley “Ash” Correll (Dominic West), a father who misses his daughter, who died in the same accident. A further investigation of them shows a kind of conspiracy with a surprising conclusion. "The Forgotten" is a great sci-fi thriller, which recalls X-Files, but the theatrical conclusion is not good. I was very disappointed with the last fifteen minutes, but the alternate ending in the DVD is better and better. I have just rewatched this film with the alternate ending and I really loved it. I am suspicious to write about the wonderful Julianne Moore, since I am a great fan of her, but she has another excellent performance. It is amazing how beautiful and talented this actress is. The cinematography is excellent, the effects are sometimes very scary, and I really enjoyed this movie. It could be better with some improvements in the screenplay, since there are flaws, but anyway it is highly recommended to fans of X-Files. My vote is eight. Title (Brazil): "Os Esquecidos" ("The Forgotten") My Blog: https://maniacosporfilme.wordpress.com/ Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/03/25 Full Review Gerald P Incredible screen play. Refreshingly new and intuitive concept. Some bonds cannot be broken. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/30/25 Full Review Olivia J A wild ride with Julianne Moore taking us on an emotional journey Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/02/25 Full Review Calvin T That was worth staying up late ✌🏾 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/25 Full Review Drew B I really love the concept of this movie. And they did it so well. It unfortunately couldn't capitalize on the concept because they didn't really know where to go with it and the end gets wonky. With a better resolution, it could've been amazing. Its still not horrible by any streatch. But the ending is a real swing & a miss. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/07/25 Full Review angela g it was really decent with a good cast and a unexpected twist Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/02/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis In "The Forgotten," Julianne Moore stars as Telly Paretta, a grieving mother struggling to cope with the loss of her 8-year-old son. She is stunned when her psychiatrist (Gary Sinise) reveals that she has created eight years of memories about a son she never had. But when she meets a man (Dominic West) who has had a similar experience, Telly embarks on a search to prove her son's existence, and her sanity.
Director
Joseph Ruben
Producer
Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks, Joe Roth
Screenwriter
Gerald Di Pego
Distributor
Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
Revolution Studios, Visual Arts Entertainment Inc., Jinks/Cohen Company
Rating
PG-13 (Intense Thematic Elements|Brief Language|Some Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 24, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$66.6M
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
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