Memento is the 208th episode of Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written by Spencer Gilbert, Joe Starr, Dan Murrell and Andy Signore. It was narrated by Jon Bailey as Epic Voice Guy. It parodies the 2000 psychological thriller film Memento. It was published on July 18, 2017, to coincide with the theatrical release of director Christopher Nolan's film Dunkirk. In keeping with the film's structure, the individual segments of the trailer are played in reverse order. It is 4 minutes 2 seconds long. It has been viewed over 1.4 million times.
Watch Honest Trailers - Memento on YouTube
"If you put it in chronological order, it's just a dude who makes a really long phone call describing what's wrong with him, then tricks himself into shooting someone." ~ Honest Trailers - Memento
Script[]
Ehhh, it's good, but Dana Carvey did it first.
(shows a segment of the trailer for Clean Slate)
Don LaFontaine (in voice-over): Imagine, every morning you wake up, you can't remember who you are.
Maurice Pogue: (on a tape recording) Your name is M. L. Pogue. (listening to the recording) Sh*t.
Honest title for Memento - Artsy Backwards Movie. Title design by Robert Holtby.
Artsy Backwards Movie
Starring Dory (Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby), Carrie-Anne Moss' Other Movie (Carrie-Anne Moss as Natalie), CSI: My Wifey (Jorja Fox as Leonard's Wife), Doctor Dangle (Thomas Lennon as Doctor), Joey Pants' Pants (Joe Pantoliano as John "Teddy" Gammell), and Ned? Ned Ryerson? (Stephen Tobolowsky as Sammy Jankis).
So if you're a Nolan fanboy, enjoy the best movie ever made until The Dark Knight, which I guess was the best movie ever made until Inception, which -- according to you all -- was the best movie ever made until The Dark Knight Rises. Look, he's proved himself as a great filmmaker, but you fanboys rate Dark Knight Rises over Citizen f*cking Kane (shows an 8.4 user rating for The Dark Knight Rises on IMDb, compared to Citizen Kane's 8.3 rating)? Dark Knight Rises isn't even the Citizen Kane of Batman movies!
Leonard Shelby: Something doesn't feel right. I think someone's f*cking with me.
Thrill as Lenny attempts to keep his world in order in a pre-smartphone era, as he utilizes Polaroids; pen and paper; and, of course, his tattoos. They're one part case file (shows Leonard getting a tattoo reading "Fact 6: Car license number SG137IU"), one part to-do list (shows a tattoo reading "buy film"), and one part lyrics from a nu metal song. (singing in a gravelly voice while reading one of Leonard's tattoos) Memory is treachery! (speaking normally) Hmm, I wonder which tat reminds him to keep frosting his hair every few weeks.
Prepare to be shocked by revelations like, this guy (Teddy) isn't who he says he is, and he's actually manipulating Leonard (Leonard Shelby: Don't believe his lies.); this girl (Natalie) isn't who she says she is and is actually manipulating Leonard (Natalie: I can say whatever the f*ck I want, and you won't remember.); and, shockingly, this guy (Leonard) isn't who he says he is and is actually manipulating Leonard (Leonard Shelby: F*ck...Do I lie to myself to be happy? Yes I will.). Genius!!
Meet Leonard, a single-mindedly obsessed white guy with slicked-back hair -- a.k.a. your typical Christopher Nolan protagonist (shows Leonard, The Young Man from Following, Will Dormer from Insomnia, Bruce Wayne from Batman Begins, and Robert Angier from The Prestige). He's a short-term amnesiac who can't remember anything after his injury (Leonard Shelby: Somebody hit me from behind, I remember. It's about the last thing that I do remember.), except for the details of the condition he developed after his injury. Hmmmm. (shows clips of Leonard talking about his "condition") He won't rest until he gets revenge for the death of his wife, even though it seems like they didn't have the best relationship to begin with.
Leonard Shelby: How can you read that again?
Leonard's Wife: Don't be a prick! I'm not reading it to annoy you; I enjoy it...(shows Leonard pinching his wife's leg while she brushes her hair) Ouch!
She's just not that into you, bro.
Return to an era when all the best movies lied to you until the very end (shows posters for Fight Club, The Sixth Sense, and The Usual Suspects); and experience a twisting story told in reverse where you already know what happens, but keeps you guessing as to why, because if you put it in chronological order, it's just a dude who makes a really long phone call describing what's wrong with him, then tricks himself into shooting someone. Brrrrilliant!
From the Michael Bay for people who've read a book in their life (Christopher Nolan) comes the film that kick-started the world's Christopher Nolan obsession and made people mildly aware of his brother.
Interviewer (to Jonathan Nolan): You are...the director's brother? (Jonathan Nolan nods) This is not the first time you've worked together, correct?
Jonathan Nolan: No, this'll be the fifth time we've worked together.
Memento
(plays the Honest Trailer opening in reverse followed by user requests for a Memento Honest Trailer, which disappear into a black screen) I am so confused.
Front-way version[]
From the Michael Bay for people who've read a book in their life (Christopher Nolan) comes the film that kick-started the world's Christopher Nolan obsession and made people mildly aware of his brother.
Interviewer (to Jonathan Nolan): You are...the director's brother? (Jonathan Nolan nods) This is not the first time you've worked together, correct?
Jonathan Nolan: No, this'll be the fifth time we've worked together.
Memento
Return to an era when all the best movies lied to you until the very end (shows posters for Fight Club, The Sixth Sense, and The Usual Suspects); and experience a twisting story told in reverse where you already know what happens, but keeps you guessing as to why, because if you put it in chronological order, it's just a dude who makes a really long phone call describing what's wrong with him, then tricks himself into shooting someone. Brrrrilliant!
Meet Leonard, a single-mindedly obsessed white guy with slicked-back hair -- a.k.a. your typical Christopher Nolan protagonist (shows Leonard, The Young Man from Following, Will Dormer from Insomnia, Bruce Wayne from Batman Begins, and Robert Angier from The Prestige). He's a short-term amnesiac who can't remember anything after his injury (Leonard Shelby: Somebody hit me from behind, I remember. It's about the last thing that I do remember.), except for the details of the condition he developed after his injury. Hmmmm. (shows clips of Leonard talking about his "condition") He won't rest until he gets revenge for the death of his wife, even though it seems like they didn't have the best relationship to begin with.
Leonard Shelby: How can you read that again?
Leonard's Wife: Don't be a prick! I'm not reading it to annoy you; I enjoy it...(shows Leonard pinching his wife's leg while she brushes her hair) Ouch!
She's just not that into you, bro.
Prepare to be shocked by revelations like, this guy (Teddy) isn't who he says he is, and he's actually manipulating Leonard (Leonard Shelby: Don't believe his lies.); this girl (Natalie) isn't who she says she is and is actually manipulating Leonard (Natalie: I can say whatever the f*ck I want, and you won't remember.); and, shockingly, this guy (Leonard) isn't who he says he is and is actually manipulating Leonard (Leonard Shelby: F*ck...Do I lie to myself to be happy? Yes I will.). Genius!!
Thrill as Lenny attempts to keep his world in order in a pre-smartphone era, as he utilizes Polaroids; pen and paper; and, of course, his tattoos. They're one part case file (shows Leonard getting a tattoo reading "Fact 6: Car license number SG137IU"), one part to-do list (shows a tattoo reading "buy film"), and one part lyrics from a nu metal song. (singing in a gravelly voice while reading one of Leonard's tattoos) Memory is treachery! (speaking normally) Hmm, I wonder which tat reminds him to keep frosting his hair every few weeks.
So if you're a Nolan fanboy, enjoy the best movie ever made until The Dark Knight, which I guess was the best movie ever made until Inception, which -- according to you all -- was the best movie ever made until The Dark Knight Rises. Look, he's proved himself as a great filmmaker, but you fanboys rate Dark Knight Rises over Citizen f*cking Kane (shows an 8.4 user rating for The Dark Knight Rises on IMDb, compared to Citizen Kane's 8.3 rating)? Dark Knight Rises isn't even the Citizen Kane of Batman movies!
Leonard Shelby: Something doesn't feel right. I think someone's f*cking with me.
Starring Dory (Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby), Carrie-Anne Moss' Other Movie (Carrie-Anne Moss as Natalie), CSI: My Wifey (Jorja Fox as Leonard's Wife), Doctor Dangle (Thomas Lennon as Doctor), Joey Pants' Pants (Joe Pantoliano as John "Teddy" Gammell), and Ned? Ned Ryerson? (Stephen Tobolowsky as Sammy Jankis).
Honest title for Memento - Artsy Backwards Movie. Title design by Robert Holtby.
Artsy Backwards Movie
Ehhh, it's good, but Dana Carvey did it first.
(shows a segment of the trailer for Clean Slate)
Don LaFontaine (in voice-over): Imagine, every morning you wake up, you can't remember who you are.
Maurice Pogue: (on a tape recording) Your name is M. L. Pogue. (listening to the recording) Sh*t.
Trivia[]
Honest Trailer Commentaries - Memento
- The script was written in the typical Honest Trailers structure and reversed during the editing process. The commentary video contains the un-reversed version of the Honest Trailer.
- Head writer Spencer Gilbert noted that watching Memento in "typical" order highlights the formula of starting with general observations and progressively becoming more specific.
- Memento was the first Honest Trailers Commentary to be posted on YouTube. Previously, commentaries were only available to Screen Junkies Plus subscribers via the website or app.
- Screen Junkies have also produced Honest Trailers for several other Christopher Nolan films including Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Inception. They also produced a career retrospective Honest Trailer for Nolan's entire filmography. See list of Honest Trailers for more.
Watch the full Honest Trailers Commentary on YouTube
Reception[]
Honest Trailers - Memento has a 97.4% approval rating from YouTube viewers. Many media sites appreciated the way Screen Junkies played with its typical structure by presenting the Honest Trailer in reverse order. Screen Rant applauded the Honest Trailer, and wrote that because of its "meta play on Memento's narrative structure, this most recent Honest Trailer is one of Screen Junkies' smartest and arguably one of their funniest videos to date." In the same article, Screen Rant also appreciated the Honest Trailer Commentary video, noting it broke down Screen Junkies' "creative process and the formula behind their comical analysis." Slash Film appreciated the Honest Trailer's jab at all the characters lying to Leonard, Leonard having to remember to dye his hair, and the comparison to the film Clean Slate. Epicstream noted that viewers need to have seen Memento to understand the joke that the Honest Trailer is based around.
Production credits[]
Video thumbnail for Honest Trailers - Memento
Voiceover Narration by Jon Bailey
Title design by Robert Holtby
Series Created by Andy Signore & Brett Weiner
Executive Producer - Andy Signore
Producers - Dan Murrell, Spencer Gilbert, Michael Bolton, Christina Kline
Written by Spencer Gilbert, Joe Starr, Dan Murrell & Andy Signore
Edited by Kevin Williamsen and TJ Nordaker
External links []
- Memento Honest Trailer Is Told In Reverse - Screen Rant article
- ‘Memento’ Honest Trailer: The Memory Mockery Unfolds in Reverse - Slash Film article
- Christopher Nolan's Memento Gets An Honest Trailer From Screen Junkies - Epicstream article