Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Movie Info

Well, at least he didn’t meet Clementine in a cavern, in a canyon while excavating for a mine…

Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) has met someone interesting named Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) but there is something odd about her…a strange familiarity.  As Joel introduces himself to Clementine a story of a love lost and love taken is recalled.  Lacuna, Inc. can rid of the bad memories of relationships past.  Created by Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) with Patrick (Elijah Wood), Mary (Kirsten Dunst), and Stan (Mark Ruffalo) as his employees, Joel finds himself fighting for the relationship he has paid to forget.

Directed by Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is written by Charlie Kaufman.  The movie was released to critical acclaim and a strong box office showing.  The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and a nomination for Best Actress (Kate Winslet).

Hulk crush Mary Jane!

Charlie Kaufman was very hot after Being John Malkovich.  With Adaptation and this movie, Kauffman proved he had a real style to him.  I enjoyed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but it is one of those movies that get better with multiple viewings.

The movie is a love story in reverse.  The movie features Joel and Clementine’s first encounter and start of a romance while following the collapse of their first love in reverse.  I feel the movie does get a bit lost in the attempt to humanize the team working on Joel, but relationship between the characters does add a bit of a juxtaposition of relationship of Clementine and Joel which seems much more pure and honest (despite the deceit).

I wish they’d make giant baths shaped like kitchen sinks!

The cast is great.  Kate Winslet received a ton of attention as the wacky Clementine, but this probably is Carrey’s best role in that he’s quite restrained in it.  Carrey plays the straight man in the story and it is a nice change.  I like Elijah Wood as the stalkerish Patrick but I think Mark Ruffalo needed more direction as the guy in love with Kirsten Dunst.  The movie’s best twist evolves between Dunst and Wilkerson and their surprising past.

The movie relies on a lot of natural effects.  This movie gives the movie a greater sense of realism.  The story lends itself to high sci-fi concepts, but it still feels rather natural and less refined than a heavily computer enhanced CGI movies.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of those movies that blends tons of genres.  It is a romance, a drama, a comedy, and sci-fi all at the same time.  It does an interesting job at exploring the relationships between people in a story full of breakups.  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind shows a comedy can be smart, funny, and thinking…something that many comedies forget.