Release Date:  March 12, 2010

Rating:  PG-13 (for violence, sexual content, language and smoking)

Genre:  Drama/Romance

Run Time:  128 min.

Director:  Allen Coulter

Actors:  Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Lena Olin, Ruby Jerins, Tate Ellington

For whatever reason, trouble and tragedy seem to follow Robert Pattinson's characters wherever they go.

As Edward Cullen, the vampire who sparkles in the sunlight, his love for mere mortal Bella Swan leaves her (not to mention her family) in constant danger. And that's when he's not fighting off the werewolves who'd rather not have the "pale faces" roaming around "their" forest or facing the wrath of the Volturi, a royal group of vampires who don't exactly approve of Edward's fraternizing with the very humans they'd like for dinner.

And in his first post-Twilight role, Pattinson doesn't have it much easier as Tyler Hawkins, a character straight out of J.D. Salinger's imagination. While he's definitely more James Dean than Holden Caulfield in the looks department with his carefully disheveled hair and perfect four-day stubble, there are still plenty of reasons he's brooding through life and doesn't exactly have the most promising of futures (and considering how much he smokes, well, it will probably involve emphysema if he doesn't get his act together).

On the eve of his 22^nd  birthday, coincidentally, the same year his older brother decided to end his own life, Tyler is having a major what-does-it-all-mean, existential moment. Completely directionless and auditing the odd class here and there at NYU, Tyler lives in an abysmal (and really, that's not even a strong-enough adjective) apartment with an immature, sex-obsessed roomie Aidan (Tate Ellington) and has a pretty rotten attitude except when he's doting on his artistic younger sister, Caroline (Ruby Jerins).

As Caroline's older brother, he's standing in the gap for his wealthy, Wall Street father (Pierce Brosnan) who never bothers showing up for the important events in his kids' lives, just one of the Hawkins' many family issues that inevitably causes Tyler to act out.

One night, however, the acting out turns violent and leads to Tyler's first night in jail after Aidan successfully convinces him to go out and live a little (which naturally means meeting girls and getting drunk). After getting thrown out of a club and getting in a fight, Tyler almost gets off with just a warning until he shoves one of the police officers.

Of course, we find out later it wasn't just any officer. It was Sgt. Craig (Chris Cooper in fine steely form), an angry cop who doesn't exactly find much joy in life, let alone his job. And oh, he conveniently happens to be the father of Tyler's future girlfriend, Ally (LOST's Emilie de Ravin).

In what's ultimately a pretty weak plot device, Aidan eventually suggests that Tyler should date Ally (who just happens to be in one of Aidan's classes) as a way to get back at her father. It definitely doesn't hurt the cause that she's pretty, so Tyler decides to go for it. A little shy and awkward when doing the whole asking-girls-out thing, Tyler almost strikes out, but his perfectly tortured charms eventually work their magic, and poof, before long, he's cooking spaghetti for her, and the couple is full-on dating.

Sprinkled in with their dates and the exchange of traumatic backstories (Ally's mom was murdered by muggers on a subway platform when she was very young, and she was there to witness it), there's quite a bit of self-aware philosophizing that's supposed to underscore the story's Greek tragedy-esque themes. But instead of happening naturally, the exchanges sound more like the work of a crafty screenwriter than a natural, free-flowing conversation happening between two young lovers on a date. 

For instance, when Ally decides to order dessert before her entrée, Tyler immediately asks if her choice is "a political statement or a medical condition." Strong in her conviction, Ally blithely replies, "I just don't see the point in waiting" before launching into her extensive thoughts on how life should be lived.