ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

Cole's Rating: ★★★

Year: 2004
Cast: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet
Genre: Drama/Romance/Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: R



       If you’ve ever seen The Number 23, you’ll know how great of an actor Jim Carrey can be when he isn’t acting in a comedic role. In fact, I can’t decide which type of performance I prefer more. A movie like The Cable Guy is one that offers both. With this movie, we are blessed enough to be exposed to Jim Carrey’s ability to play a serious, dramatic role. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is about a couple, Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), whose relationship turned defective and damaging. When a company offers the ability to erase their memory of each other, they agree and have it done. So the majority of the movie takes place in Joel’s head, attempting to hide in his memories with Clementine, as he realizes he truly does want her in his life. 

       It’s only every so often that you see a movie title that you have never recognized or seen before (most people haven't), such as this. And the even less common, when it has an innovative idea. People often try to categorize movies: mobster movies, supernatural horror movies, and there are many more. But I’m not sure how to classify this one. The closest movie to it would be Inception, but that’s not even close. Memory is something that has been a curious subject for me for many years. I have always wondered how it works, why I remember certain things, why I don’t. When I found this movie, I was intrigued. 

       The need for great visual effects was not necessary, but the need for editing was. And this is evident in the film. The editing was great, despite the excessive time and scenes spent on the Kirsten Dunst’s and David Cross’s character being irresponsible and careless around Joel’s unconscious body. Nevertheless, no words will be able to describe my favorite scene in the movie, that took place on the beach. Joel was in the house that him and Clementine met eachother in, and it was flooding with water. As she was slipping away from him, he had to yell louder so she could hear him. It was as if it she was a voice over. The writer of the film, Charlie Kaufman, who won an Oscar for the screenplay, has some obvious imaginative skills. If you haven’t got that from the review yet, you will when you watch it.

       This is a movie that I will definitely remember as a unique, and weird film. The connotation for weird may be negative in most circumstances, but not this one. The idea of having each person’s memories wiped of each other instead of just not seeing each other is absurd. But it made it an interesting movie, and trust me, you won’t want to have this movie wiped from your memory.

Written by Cole Pollyea