The Forgotten

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The Forgotten

PG-13

2004

1h 31m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Popcornmeter

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 reveals that she has created eight years of memories about a son she never had. But when she meets a man 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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David Ansen

Newsweek

03/13/2018

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.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/28/2010

2/5

Creepy thriller not for faint of heart.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

02/03/2005

B-

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.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

05/07/2019

C+

An undemanding but somewhat entertaining mumbo-jumbo thriller, but not one to be remembered as good.

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Mark Halverson

Sacramento News & Review

08/07/2008

2/5

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

02/13/2008

D

Who wants to see -- or remember -- a wildly implausible thriller that's also grim and humorless?

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Claudio C

@Claudio666 Aug 3

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/

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Gerald P

@RT92767858 Jun 29

Incredible screen play. Refreshingly new and intuitive concept. Some bonds cannot be broken.

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Olivia J

@RT02808372 May 2

A wild ride with Julianne Moore taking us on an emotional journey

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Calvin T

@Calvin504 01/21/2025

That was worth staying up late ✌🏾

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Drew B

@RT87397005 01/07/2025

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.

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angela g

@Sunflower378 12/02/2024

it was really decent with a good cast and a unexpected twist

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Joseph Ruben

Director

Julianne Moore

Telly Paretta

Dominic West

Ash Correll

Gary Sinise

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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 reveals that she has created eight years of memories about a son she never had. But when she meets a man 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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