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Features Actors:Elijah Wood,Jim Carrey,Kate Winslet,Kirsten Dunst & Tom Wilkinson Rating: R Running Time: 108 min. If you could willingly have the memory of someone removed from your consciousness, would you? The film tells the story of Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet), two people who casually met, fell in love, and drifted apart. Some time after they've separated, Joel finds out that Clementine visited a local psychiatrist (Tom Wilkinson) and had her memory of their entire relationship erased. Anger, pseudo-revenge, and desperation push him to seek out the same doctor and have the procedure to erase his memories of her as well. Three technicians (Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, and Elijah Wood) visit Joel's apartment and work through the night to remove the memories of Clementine from an unconscious Joel's mind. The remaining bulk of the movie actually takes place in Joel's mind as he suddenly decides he doesn't want to forget Clementine. Unable to wake up, he struggles through literal incarnations of his subconscious realities, his dream worlds, and his memories to hide remnants of Clementine where the technicians can't find them.Sound complicated? While it becomes slightly difficult to follow as the movie pulses along, it steadily becomes clear what's happening inside of Joel's mind. Patience is required as the linear timeline of his memories eventually comes into focus (here's a hint -- keep your eye on Clementine's hair color to track the timeline of their relationship history). Those with a keen mind, an attention to detail, and the desire to unravel character arc mysteries are almost sure to fall in love with 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' Would recommend to rent or buy.Hope this helps you decide.Thanks for taking the time to read this.Please click YES at the bottom. :)Read full review
Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could just decide to erase all the bad things that happen and especially the bad people. Would you be left with Eternal Sunshine? I don't think so and neither did this movie. If you erase the bad stuff you have to loose the good stuff too. I believe if two people are meant to be togehter they will be no matter the obstacles placed in their path and by the lake the two charaters discover this as well. My husband and kids did not enjoy this movie it made them think to much as it skipped from past to present and from dream to reality. I however loved it and have watched it three times. Each time you pick out something you missed before. Good movie, but you have to pay attention.
"Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is an emotionally withdrawn man and Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) is his girlfriend who is a dysfunctional free spirit. They are inexplicably attracted to each other despite their different personalities. They do not realize it at the time, but they are former lovers now separated after two years together. After a nasty fight, Clementine has had her memories of their relationship erased from her mind. Upon learning this, Joel is devastated and goes to the doctor to have the same procedure of erasing her memories done. However, while unconscious, Joel has second thoughts and decides he wants to keep his memories of Clementine. Much of the film takes place in Joel's brain as he tries to find a way to preserve his memories of Clementine and two Lacuna techies Patrick (Elijah Wood) and Stan (Mark Ruffalo) try to erase the memories. We watch their love and courtship go in reverse. The memories are slowly erased while Joel tries his best to resist the procedure and hide inside his mind. In separate and related story arcs, the employees of Lacuna Corporation are revealed to be more than peripheral characters in scenes which further show the harm caused by the memory-altering procedure. Mary (Kirsten Dunst) has had an affair with the married doctor, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak, who heads the company (Tom Wilkinson). She agreed to have the affair erased from her memory when his wife discovered the relationship. Patrick who is lonely and socially inept, becomes fixated on Clementine and uses Joel's personal mementos that he gave to Lacuna as part of the procedure in order to seduce Clementine. These romantic entanglements turn out to have a critical effect on the main story line of the relationship between Joel and Clementine. Once Mary learns of the affair she has had with the doctor, she steals the company's records and sends them to all of its clients. Thus Joel and Clementine both get to listen to their initial tape recordings at Lacuna, and afterwards realize that even if everything in life isn't perfect, their relationship can still be worthwhile." -from IMBD.comRead full review
I love this movie for a few different reasons. First off the actors are great. Jim Carrey drops his crazy comedy roles and takes up a serious and shy schlub(Joel) who meets the girl of his dreams...or so he thinks. Kate Winslet plays Clementine and is absolutely fantastic in her role. This couple had some great chemistry and they really drove the movie. Another aspect which was great was the memory sequences when things begin breaking down. There are many subtle and not so subtle elements happening during scenes (i.e. book's titles disappearing, cars fading away piece by piece). The message at the end of the movie is also great because you can interpret it for yourself and relate to the movie so much, or at least I did. I've watched this in my film analysis class and half of the students really got emotional (mostly guys) because they could remember a time that they had a loved one and would hate to lose those memories like what happens to Joel in the movie. The movie really makes you look inward at yourself and pulls out the emotions that we try to keep hidden. If you love fantasy and drama flix with a bit of comedy spread around then this is a must see for you.Read full review
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is an unconventional romance told in the abstract, inventive, and comedic storytelling style of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Like his scripts for ADAPTATION and BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, this plot works off of a relatively complex idea that is more easily explained through the language of film than through words. In its most basic description, Joel (Jim Carrey) is undergoing a medical procedure to erase the memory of his ex-girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet). However, while he is unconscious and the procedure is underway, he takes a journey through his mind, reliving moments with Clementine for fear of losing her forever. Using disjointed sound and action, foggy periods indicating Joel's confusion, and flashbacks to childhood where objects appear much bigger than they are to adult eyes, the cinematography communicates Joel's dilemma with visual hilarity. Only occasionally is the film laugh-out-loud funny; instead it is much more deeply and darkly amusing as the absurdity of the situation grows. ETERNAL SUNSHINE is nothing short of brilliant--a credit to director Michel Gondry (who has a topnotch reputation for his aesthetic music videos by artists such as Bjork). Carrey is wonderfully understated in the role of a simpleminded nice guy, and his signature goofiness is used only a handful of times. Winslet lights up the screen with her blue hair and orange sweatshirt, playing a lively free spirit and loose cannon. There are also strong supporting performances by Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, and Mark Ruffalo, along with an excellent score by Jon Brion and a peppy soundtrack including songs by E.L.O. and the Polyphonic Spree. The film's conclusion promises to satisfy viewers; it offers a beautiful metaphor for the end of a love affair that brings perfect closure to this excellent film.Read full review
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