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475 of 506 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I DON'T WANT THIS ANYMORE!!!", October 16, 2004
When you hear the basic storyline of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," it sounds like another one of those "wacky" romantic comedies that they love to put out every month. However, when you realize that this is written by Charlie Kaufman (who also wrote "Adaptation" and "Being John Malkovich"), then you know that this will be a very different movie. This is such an enjoyable, hilarious and a brutally honest film that has immediately become a favorite of mine.
Jim Carrey plays "Joel;" a quiet and shy person who keeps to himself most of the time. He's bummed out when he discovers that his girlfriend had a new procedure done in where she has erased him from her memory. Not knowing what else to do, Joel decides that he must get the same thing done to him and goes to the clinic to have her erased from his memory, hoping that the pain and sadness will go away. When he's undergoing the procedure, unconscious and reliving the memories as they are being erased, Joel begins to realize that there were some very happy moments he had with her and he doesn't want to lose them after all.
It's really hard to categorize a movie like this. While it is indeed a comedy on some levels, it has a lot of dramatic elements to it, as well. Because of this, people will either fall in love with it or despise every minute of it. What really struck home with me is how honest and creative it really is. You'll find a lot more honesty and truth in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" than in most of the "cute" comedies that are out there today. It is extremely easy to relate to the characters, and that is what makes it all the more realistic for us. Jim Carrey is absolutely fantastic in this, as he is very controlled and doesn't try to steal the show. This is when you really get to see his acting skills shine. Kate Winslet takes the challenge of playing opposite of Carrey head-on and succeeds every single time. We cannot forget about Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst and Tom Wilkinson, who also make the movie that much more entertaining.
What I really admire about the movie is the theme of it, and that is that just because a relationship doesn't work out in the end, it doesn't mean that it was time wasted. Sure, there are certain memories we wish would go away somehow, but how would that change us as a person if we could do such a thing? We learn from our experiences; from the good and the bad. That's how we mature as human-beings, and Kaufman's clever writing really establishes that perfectly. The DVD has some cool extras, such as behind-the-scenes documentaries, audio commentary from the writer and the director, deleted scenes and more.
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" remains the best film to come out of 2004 for me. It's strange, yet clever; funny yet sad, and imaginative, yet honest. If you're looking for a risk-taking film that is like a breath of fresh air, then I highly recommend this excellent picture. This can possibly be the best movie of Jim Carrey's career. Take a chance and find out why so many people are raving about it in the first place. -Michael Crane
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188 of 220 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just when you thought romantic comedies were unoriginal ..., March 10, 2004
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, which I saw tonight in an advance screening, is the most twisted, original romantic comedy I've seen in a long time. Coming from the mind of Charlie Kaufman, this film is luckily more in the vein of BEING JOHN MALKOVICH and ADAPTATION than HUMAN NATURE. The film, which operates on the premise that people can delete bad relationships from their memories, travels essentially backward down its story's timeline. It examines several key themes regarding compatibility, fate and how our memories can make up who we are. Jim Carrey, who plays his role of Joel straight rather than wacky, delivers his best and most human performance since THE TRUMAN SHOW. But the movie, thankfully, belongs to Kate Winslet. As Clementine, the girlfriend who Joel wants to either love or forget, Winslet is wacky, colorful and hilarious - the sort of girl you want to either love or strangle. While their central story plays out mostly within Joel's brain, several equally interesting subplots emerge involving the memory-erasing workers played by Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Tom Wilkinson. The thing I like best about Charlie Kaufman scripts is that I don't always know where they're going but, in the end, they cover all their bases, address all the philosophical questions inherent in their twisted plots and always leave me entertained. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is a terrific movie.
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54 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Original, Deeply Moving, March 21, 2004
By A Customer
I think that people who say that there's no such thing as an original plot ought to see this movie and see if they still believe it afterwards. "Eternal Sunshine" is just as creative as "Being John Malkovich" but without the characters who did despicable things (i.e. taking over people's bodies) in the latter movie. Instead, the story centers around Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) who are two very appealing "nice people." I'm a guy, so naturally my eyes are on Kate Winslet. She really does merit the description that one critic gave her, "very easy to fall in love with" (I know I have). Besides this movie, I've seen her in two other great roles in "Sense and Sensibility" and "Enigma." In "Eternal Sunshine" she plays the shy man's dream girl: a wacky, flaky woman who lights up every scene that she's in. Yet she's also a wounded spirit, fighting a problem with alcohol. Jim Carrey does a fine job playing Clementine's soul mate (and in some ways her polar opposite). He's a quiet introspective man with none of the trademark Carrey goofiness. Joel is someone I could readily imagine being, unlike if the role was played by better known actors who never play anything less than flawless human beings. I won't spoil the plot beyond the fact that I thought it was a life-affirming story about the part of a love affair that usually gets short shrift, when people either come to terms with or fail to come to terms with the shortcomings of their significant others. The special effects and science-fiction conceit of memory erasure give the love story of Clementine and Joel a lift that a more straightforward narrative would lack. On a final note: some people will probably read the script that is available on the Internet before seeing this movie. I did and sort of wish I hadn't because the movie would have been a little fresher to me. However, those who did read the script and were put off by the ending there should go see "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" anyway because the movie's outcome is infinitely better. I hope that there's a Clementine out there for me somewhere. Until then, I at least have a memory of a very nice romantic comedy that left me a little teary eyed at the end --but in a good way. I would only erase it if I could get to watch it again.
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