I made time to see this movie despite having other plans tonight. I do reveal one or two plot elements in this review, but not more than what Jim Carrey or Kate Winslet revealed on shows like Conan or Letterman. Everyone should see this movie.
Jim Carrey's acting career is somewhat a conundrum. After a string of blockbuster slapstick comedies in the early to mid nineties he became the biggest comedic actor in Hollywood. His hilarious rubber-faced antics won over many fans, but because his comedic persona was so strong, not people bought into his performances when he tried to go into serious acting. After making movies such as "The Truman Show" or "Man on the Moon," Carrey had to placate his fans with the likes of "Me, Myself, and Irene" and "Bruce Almighty." "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is Jim Carrey's fourth drama, a couple of years removed from what I had considered to be his tour de force in acting, "The Majestic." In "Eternal Sunshine," Carrey stars as Joel Barish, a normal, boring working stiff whose life is lit up when he meets impulsive and prismatic Clementine (Kate Winslet). The romance falters after some time and Clementine in a fit of rage goes to a doctor to have her brain completely purged of memories of Joel. When Joel discovers this he angrily goes to the same doctor to have have the same procedure done. Most of the remainder of the movie takes place in Joels brain, inside his memories of Clemetine, as each memorie scrolls through and gets eventually decomposed by a brain-lesion inducing machine. However, half way through the procedure, Joel realizes that despite his pain he does not want to forget Clementine, whom he loved deeply, so as the visions / memories continues to flash by, Joel takes control and desperately attempts to escape with Clementine and hide her in some deep recess of his subconcious where the machine cannot destroy his memory of her. The premise is very surreal and the plot is rather convoluted, much like another of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's hits -- "Being John Malkovich," however, the film is not confusing and moves along at a great pace. In the end, there is a twist that is pretty satisfying, and the ending is pretty profound. The depth of emotion that Jim Carrey is able to convey with his expressions is just very amazing, he would be a great dramatic actor if one can look at his face and not associate it immediatly with a silly pet detective. Carrey is really comfortable with this role, and seems to be more mature as an actor than in any other of his films. Kate Winslet, pretty far removed from her Titanic days, does a good job with her complex character. Kirsten Dunst and Mark Rufallo give zany performances as the doctor's assistants, and do a good job with their side plot. A minor disappointment for me was that Elijah Wood's performance was not really strong, even given his limited screen time. My favorite part about the movie was its surrealistic scene transitions from switching from memory to memory or as each memory fades when it's being destroyed. It didn't surprised me when I read that the director, Michel Gondry, is better known for his work in music videos. Those techniques worked very well for the dreamlike premises of this movie. All in all, there was nothing not to like about this movie. Carrey's presence itself adds a few laughs, and the script is just very good. I'm a huge sap for mindless blockbusters (Charlies Angels II), and saccharine melodrama (I really liked the Majestic), so this type of movie isn't usually my cup of tea -- but I enjoyed it anyway. Maybe you won't think it's the best movie ever, but I don't think you could regret watching it either. Verdict: thumbs up. not really way up though because it lacks the "wow" factor. Date factor: my girlfriend liked the movie.
