Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2-Disc Collector's Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation" were clever--but "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is simply beautiful. There are elements of comedy and science fiction, yes, but at heart, it's simply a perfectly captured, bittersweet love story--one that, if you're single, makes you long for such a relationship, even as you watch it disintegrate.

It should be pointed out that the movie--a close second to "Lost in Translation" among the best films in recent memory--is by no means just a Charlie Kaufman vehicle. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet play against type perfectly, truly inhabiting the characters of Joel and Clementine. Michel Gondry deftly brings his and Kaufman's story to the screen, putting his music-video background to good use while taking care not to overwhelm things with too much fancy footwork. And Jon Brion's score brilliantly accentuates the scenes without threatening to overshadow them.

There are some simply lovely shots in this movie, among them Joel and Clem on the frozen Charles River; a little girl in a cowgirl outfit leading young Joel away from a group of taunting boys; and Joel and Clem on the snow-covered beach at Montauk. One memorable shot that the filmmakers simply stumbled upon was the elephant parade over which Kirsten Dunst reads the lines of Alexander Pope's "Eloisa to Abelard" which give the movie its title. But my words really don't do these scenes justice. See the film for yourself. It is more than worth the price of admission, and that is an all-too-rare thing these days.

Rating:
Summary: Clearing the Mind...
Review: Eternal Sunshine is a complete bizarre trip. Unlike most Hollywood movies, this film requires you to bring your brain in with you and not leave it at the front door. Director Michel Gondry has delivered an intense emotionally draining film that falls nothing short of brilliant.
Jim Carrey stars as Joel, a lonely quiet man who ponders through life with little hope or desire. This all changes when he meets a crazy up-beat woman named Clementine, played by Kate Winslet. Joel is stunned to discover that his girlfriend has had the memories of their tumultuous relationship erased. Out of desperation, he contacts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), to have Clementine removed from his own memory. But as Joel's memories begin to disappear one by one he begins to realize the fantastic times they had together. Joel then attempts to escape the procedure from deep within the recesses of his brain while Dr. Howard and his associates, (Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo), chase him through this maze.
Completely original, Eternal Sunshine will have you watching, questioning, and absorbing all its film aspects while intrigued by its stimulating story. Jim Carrey gives one of his best, if not the best, performance of his career. Kate Winslet is equally convincing as the out-going girlfriend Clementine, who is wild and all over the place. It's almost as if the two characters were written for the wrong person. Ms. Winslet's Clementine has the zany attributes that are perfect for Mr. Carrey's style and wit. Vice-versa for Mr. Carrey's character toward Ms. Winslet. But what we are witnessing here are two actors who give performances that are not the norm for them and the result is phenomenal.
This film is a joy to watch. Beautiful cinematography is shown throughout the entire film. The elephant parade scene is a dazzling marvel to observe. I was reminded of the intriguing cinematography used in the cities of Japan from Lost in Translation. They were both shot without tripods, both real and full of eye candy. The music is perfect as it captures the anomalous tone the film gives. Jon Brion is slowly getting fame as one of the great film composers of our time. You may remember his other quirky and offbeat music sufficiently used in the extraordinary "Punch-Drunk Love." I found myself almost in tears at just how gorgeous some of the scenes are with the music. In one scene, Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are sitting in a room when all the sudden rain pours in flooding the entire room. They began to smile and playfully flirt with one another in a way true lovers do while Mr. Brion adds a touching delicate piano playing in the background. There are many scenes like this that touches the viewer and enables them to grasp and understand the true love and chemistry these characters have for each other even though they are complete opposites.
The extremely talented Charlie Kaufman writes the screenplay. Mr. Kaufman has written other strange but compelling scripts for the movies "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation." It boggles me to understand where and how he comes up with these uncommon but astonishing stories. We are seeing a genius at work, providing us with stories we wouldn't normally see or think of with a script that gives lines that can be well executed by its actors and actresses.
Unlike "Adaptation" or "Being John Malkovich", Spike Jonze does not direct this move. Director Michael Gondry gives another try after working with Mr. Kaufman on the not-so successful "Human Nature." Mr. Gondry has proved successful this time as he allows his actors and actresses to be unique and abnormal while staying true and real at the same time.
If there was one thing I did not like about this film, it would have to be the ending. I was so disappointed that after watching a film that seemed to want to break all standard forms of a Hollywood movie would succumb to a Hollywood ending. But don't let this confuse you. I loved this movie and if I had to pick a flaw that would be it.
This is a strong film with a peculiar theme that asks us to question if what we consider the right thing to do to help others is really helpful indeed? Dr. Mierzwiak creates a system to help others by erasing painful memories from their brains. But is this really helping people? Later in the film, Kirsten Dunst's character makes a decision in trying to help fellow patients that proves just to add more problems. What we consider helpful may be disastrous to others.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a must-see for anyone dieing to see a film that is challenging and completely different from the norm of most movies. Finally, a film that ironically is about the human brain while at the same time requiring the viewer to use his or her brain in the process.

Rating:
Summary: Unpredictable, Dream-like, and Uncanny
Review: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is definitely one of those gems of a movie that makes sense despite its twists and turns. I'm not sure if this is a representation of the continuing wave of independent films with big name stars, such as last year's Lost In Translation, but it certainly was worth watching. It's one of those films that has a natural ambience.

The film does not follow the mundane plotlines as most Romantic comedies. Of course, in the beginning just when you think it's going to be one of those boy meets girl, boy loses girl scenarios, Charlie Kaufman, Eternal Sunshine's screenwriter pulls a curve ball. The relationship between Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) appear complicated, and indeed it is. But somehow Kaufman ties it all together in the end. This film is about identity and memory, and coming to terms with the past in order to tie loose ends that exist in the present.

The most uncanny aspect of the film is the appearance of opening credits 15-20 minutes into the movie! The film almost has a 'Magical Mystery Tour' feel -- the beginning starts off predictable, then suddenly half-way through the film you're hit with a warp sense of Joel's memory and experiences, and then the concluding scenes lends itself to an additional plotline somewhat relevant to the relationship between Joel and Clementine, which involves LacUna, the company that erases both Joel and Clementine's memories. Unfortunately, it is the weak portion of the film.

The cinematography was effective in portraying the fast paced parts of the film as well as the overexposed photography -- it gave that indie feel as well as the surreal-like effects. In addition, I found the soundtrack of the film to be quite interesting. At times I thought one of the opening chords or sound effects came from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, or maybe fragments of The Beatles' A Day In A Life. I was disappointed that ELO's Mr. Blue Sky wasn't present in the film, but then again it only appeared in the film's trailer.

Nevertheless, I recommend this film to anyone interested in catching a movie that's fresh and unpredictable.

Rating:
Summary: ALEXS CAPSULE MOVIE REVIEWS
Review: Highlights: Jim Carrey's superior performance, and Kate Winslet shines as usual; scenes of blistering intensity; a quirky script in the top league of Charlie Kaufman's creations; poignant themes.
Lowpoints: Really gets moving about 30 minutes into the film - a little too confusing/irritating till then; under-developed Elijah Woods' character (maybe for the better); very pretentious at times.
Conclusion: Michael Gondry does a much more successfully executed follow-up to his ambitious but deeply flawed 'Human Nature'. The title WILL make sense by the end, as the film becomes progressively more ingenious. As with all Kaufman scripts, revealing the plot is pointless - quirky and original, sometimes pretentious (like 'Adaptation') 'Sunshine...' offers a nuanced career-best from Jim Carrey (forget 'The Majestic', pleeease), a sexy Kate Winslet (it's easy to see how one could fall head-over-heels for her flirty heroine with acid-colored hair), and a genuinely affecting script. It takes a little too long to take off, but once it does, your confusion will become revelation. Amazing imagery, amazing acting, amazing direction -anyone who likes to use some brain cells while watching film, GO WATCH THIS!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was really expecting this movie to be great from all the hype, and it was anything but that. I really was upset for wasting my time watching the movie. I would definately not recommend this movie to anyone. I really did not enjoy this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Erasing the pain of love.
Review: In "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Jim Carrey plays Joel Barish, a nebbishy and depressed man who has difficulty articulating his feelings. Into his life comes Clementine Kruczynski, played charmingly by the versatile Kate Winslet. Unlike Joel, Clementine is free-spirited and impulsive. Yet, somehow, the two connect and they enter into a relationship. When she starts to tire of Joel, Clementine undergoes a procedure to erase him from her mind, and Joel, in turn, decides to erase Clementine from his mind. Much to his dismay, Joel discovers that forgetting Clementine is much easier said than done.

The inimitable Charlie Kaufman wrote the screenplay for "Sunshine" and it is a doozy. The story is told out of sequence, and fantasies are intertwined with "real" events. Much of the movie takes place in Jim Carrey's memory. Michel Godry, the director, and Ellen Kuras, the cinematographer, lend a surrealistic and kaleidoscopic aura to this film that may leave viewers breathless and off-balance.

All of the actors are fine, especially Tom Wilkinson as the seemingly staid doctor who makes a good living erasing memories, and Kirsten Dunst as his ditsy blonde nurse. Ultimately, however, the movie belongs to Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. They beautifully portray two lonely and vulnerable people who take a big risk to find love.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is an original, intriguing, and challenging experience. You may leave the theatre confused or exhilarated or both, but you will not soon forget this mind-bending film.

Rating:
Summary: How far would you go to forget someone?
Review: Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star in this very original and hard to label drama that you will either love or hate. Carrey plays Joel, a depressed loner who meets free-spirit Clementine (Winslet). Their relationship runs its course, then each decides to use modern technology to erase the other from their memory. Most of the film takes place in Joel's mind as sights and sounds from their past flash before his unconscious and he finds he doesn't really want to forget her.

This movie is more art-house than mainstream, and is made up of an endless montage of psychedelic sights and sounds that you will either find fascinating or tedious. It is a trip into the subconscious where things rarely make sense. Images of childhood are chaotically blended with recent memories, leaving Joel (and the audience) to sort it all out.

Jim Carrey gives a touching and mature performance mixing sadness, desire, and fear. If you like strikingly visual and surreal interpretations of the mind, you will enjoy this film.

Rating:
Summary: A triumph of imagination!
Review: The basic premise is that Jim Carrey's character, already despondent over losing his great love, Kate Winslet, becomes even more despairing when he learns that she has erased him from her memories using a procedure developed by the Lacuna Corporation. It's a sorta sci-fi premise, true, but the technical trappings of the movie are almost non-existent.

In many ways, this is a love story, or at least a story that explores the nature of love. As Carrey submits to the process of erasure, he "experiences" his memories of the relationship in a sort of reverse order, and begins to regret his decision. We see the memories...many of them painful and unlovely, and we experience them on the usual level of watching a romantic comedy. But we also see Carrey experiencing their erasure, and we feel for him and Winslet on a different level. The movie (as you might expect from the writer of BEING JOHN MALKOVICH and ADAPTATION) bounces around in time a bit, but frankly, it doesn't seem that hard to grasp what's going on. His memories are in reverse...that's not hard...and they are a little weird, because memories are a little like dreams...so we accept their oddity. But the memories feel very specific and real too, and that's why we get sucked in by the characters.

In a sorta subplot, we meet the four main people who run Lacuna. Tom Wilkinson, a really terrific older actor (IN THE BEDROOM, is the chairman of the company. His office feels like the office of a low-brow bookkeeper or shady dentist, not a scientist on the cutting edge. We get the idea that perhaps this procedure isn't quite as refined as one might like yet. Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood are his "techies," a nerdy bunch with lots of social problems of their own. And Kirsten Dunst is the administrative assistant with a secret. The night that Carrey's memories are being erased takes up most of the time in the movie, and we jump back and forth from his internal experiences and the goings-on of the Lacuna bunch.

The movie is terrifically acted. I've read many people say "Jim Carrey has never been better." This is true, in a way. He really disappears into this essentially non-humorous role. At one point, he is playing himself as a young child, but other than that, he plays it "straight" and we mostly forget it's that wild and crazy Ace Ventura guy. It's a real treat to see Winslet, as always. She's such a daring and generous actor, with a spot-on American accent. Her character is quirky and difficult to like, but she infuses is with loads of pathos, humanity and energy. She and Carrey really play off each other...Carrey usually just plows right over his co-stars...this time, Winslet pushes right back, and they are a nice couple.

The supporting cast are all fine. I like Mark Ruffalo, particularly. Elijah Wood is supremely unlikable, which is a good stretch for him. Dunst is a tad underwritten, and thus, when her big secret is revealed, one's reaction is to shrug ones shoulders a bit. What she does when her secret is revealed is a bit of a stretch, too. She becomes a bit of a device at the end...I didn't totally buy that she would do what she does with Wilkinson's records. So, for that reason, I dock the movie about a quareter of a star.

The other quarter to a half star goes for the Carrey / Winslet relationship. We see how they meet, which is well explored, and feels real and awkward, like a new relationship does. We see how they crumbled, and that feels real and ugly, just like a long-time relationship coming to a bitter end. But somehow, I missed the cozy, comfortable, settled-in portion of their relationship. We can't go from the heat of the first date to the ice of the end without seeing the comfortable middle...yet the movie skimps on those details.

So, the film gets 4.25 stars. But it is nonetheless HIGHLY recommended for anyone who has experienced adult, painful romance or for anyone who can appreciate a film that never takes the easy way and seldom gets predictable.