History YMMV / Memento

** "Something in the Air" by Music/DavidBowie plays over the end credits. Bowie would later appear in Nolan's ''Film/ThePrestiege''.

** ''Memento'' was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2001 and is frequently ranked as one of the best films of [[TurnOfTheMillennium the 2000-2009 decade]], yet it didn't even receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
** Christopher Nolan received a Director's Guild Award nomination but was snubbed by the Oscars.

** A meta example, as the movie provides one of its own. Natalie, for the first viewing of the movie [[spoiler:comes off as a manipulative, evil bitch]], but on the second viewing [[spoiler: all of her actions become immensely more justified when you realize that she knew from the beginning the protagonist had murdered her boyfriend]].

* MoralEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Subverted with Natalie. At first, she seems like a complete ManipulativeBitch, but as it turned out, she had good reason for doing what she did.]]

* RewatchBonus: The film takes a whole new light when you watch it a second time around. Some of the characters' behavior, such as Natalie's initial attitude with Leonard, makes a lot more sense when you know the details.

* WhatAnIdiot:
** Teddy, knowing what he knows about the protagonist's facts concerning the case, and knowing that [[spoiler:his own real name is John G.]], why he went within a hundred miles of this guy can at best be chalked up to [[spoiler:greedy recklessness]] and less charitably [[spoiler:just a death wish]]. At least he used an alias. Still, it's a bad idea.

* AwardSnub: ''Memento'' was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2001 and is frequently ranked as one of the best films of the 2000-2009 decade, yet it didn't even receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

** [[spoiler: Leonard arguably crosses this when he decides to consciously forget the truth about what happened and makes it seem as if Teddy was the one who killed his wife, just so he would still feel a sense of purpose. This in itself becomes rather blurry depending on just how you interpret [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Teddy's character]] and whether or not what he said was actually true.]]
* TheReveal: Subverted. Teddy [[spoiler:hiding his identity as John G]] is a ForegoneConclusion about a fourth of the way through the film, with the rest of the movie leading up to that point. [[spoiler:But he is not the first John G that Leonard has killed.]]

** Teddy, knowing what he knows about the protagonist's facts concerning the case, and knowing that [[spoiler:his own real name is John G.]], why he went within a hundred miles of this guy can at best be chalked up to [[spoiler:greedy recklessness]] and less charitably [[spoiler:just a death wish]].
** At least he used an alias. Still, it's a bad idea.
* WhyWouldAnyoneTakeHerBack: Played with.

** What about Teddy? Is he just a scheming crook who manipulated a hapless amnesiac into becoming his own personal thug? Or is he, in fact, the only real friend that Lenny has—a devoted pal who's been keeping Lenny out of jail, holding him back from becoming a full-blown serial killer, and giving him purpose and protection—all because he just wants the poor guy to be happy?

* [[WhyWouldAnyoneTakeHimBack Why Would Anyone Take Her Back]]: Played with.

* RewatchBonus: The film takes a whole new light when you watch it a second time around.

** What about Teddy? Is he just a scheming crook who manipulated a hapless amnesiac into becoming his own personal thug? Or is he, in fact, the only real friend that Lenny has—a devoted pal who's been keeping Lenny out of jail, holding him back from becoming a full-blown serial killer, and giving him purpose and protection—all because he just wants the poor guy to be happy?

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: A meta example, as the movie provides one of its own. Natalie, for the first viewing of the movie [[spoiler:comes off as a manipulative, evil bitch]], but on the second viewing [[spoiler: all of her actions become immensely more justified when you realize that she knew from the beginning the protagonist had murdered her boyfriend]].
** Another is [[spoiler:whether Lenny really killed his wife or it's just another of Teddy's lies]] is left up to the audience, as there's evidence for each. There's also [[spoiler:whether or not Teddy being killed will stop his killing spree.]]
*** And probably the most poignant one. Is Lenny a victim, being manipulated by Teddy to be a hired gun, who frees himself from Teddy's influence at the end of the movie? Or is Lenny just a serial killer with anterograde amnesia who just wants a purpose in life, even if it means deluding himself? The second has more weight than it initially appears, if one wonders what kind of life Lenny will/can have if he gets away with it.

* [[WhyWouldAnyoneTakeHimBack Why Would Anyone Take Her Back]]: Played with.

* [[WhyWouldAnyoneTakeHimBack Why Would Anyone Take Her Back]]: Played with.
* TheReveal: Subverted. Teddy [[spoiler:hiding his identity as John G]] is a ForegoneConclusion about a fourth of the way through the film, with the rest of the movie leading up to that point. [[spoiler:But he is not the first John G that Leonard has killed.]]

* TearJerker: Lenny's musing on the real tragedy of his situation, which even manages to win Natalie's sympathy and forgiveness:
-->'''Lenny:''' How can I heal if I can't feel time?

** What about Teddy? Is he just a scheming crook who callously manipulated a hapless amnesiac into becoming his own personal thug? Or is he, in fact, the only real friend that Lenny has—a devoted pal who's been keeping Lenny out of jail, holding him back from becoming an indiscriminate killer, and giving him purpose and protection—all because he just wants the poor guy to be happy?

** What about Teddy? Is he just a scheming crook who callously manipulated a hapless amnesiac into becoming his own personal thug? Or is he, in fact, the only real friend that Lenny has—and the one who's been responsible, all this time, for giving Lenny purpose and protection?

*** And probably the most poignant one. Is Lenny a victim being manipulated by Teddy to be a hired gun, who at the end of the movie manipulates himself so he can stop Teddy? Or is Lenny just a serial killer with anterograde amnesia who just wants a purpose in life, even if it means deluding himself. The second has more weight than it initially appears, if one wonders what kind of life Lenny will/can have if he gets away with it.

** Another is [[spoiler:rather Lenny really killed his wife or it's just another of Teddy's lies]] is left up to the audience, as there's evidence for each. There's also that [[spoiler:rather or not Teddy being killed will stop his killing spree.]]

* TheReveal: Deconstructed. Teddy [[spoiler:hiding his identity as John G]] is a ForegoneConclusion about a fourth of the way through the film, with the rest of the movie leading up to that point. [[spoiler:But he is not the first John G that Leonard has killed.]]

* [[WhyWouldAnyoneTakeHimBack Why Would Anyone Take Her Back]]: Played with.

** Another is [[spoiler:rather Lenny really killed his wife or it's just another of Teddy's lies]] is left up to the audience, as there's evidence for each.

* IrrevocableMessage
* ParanoiaFuel
* RewatchBonus
* WhatAnIdiot: Teddy, knowing what he knows about the protagonist's facts concerning the case, and knowing that [[spoiler:his own real name is John G.]], why he went within a hundred miles of this guy can at best be chalked up to [[spoiler:greedy recklessness]] and less charitably [[spoiler:just a death wish]].