Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance, Science Fiction
2004

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Jim Carrey) decides to have the memories of his ex-girlfriend (Kate Winslet) deleted from his consciousnes. During the process, however, he decides that he wants to keep them, and must mentally attempt to escape with a few of him memories intact.

Review:

Tim: This is another Charlie Kaufmann film with another crazy story. If for no other reason, watch his movies because they are refreshingly atypical. This latest one is no exception.

More than most of his movies, this one is really cast-oriented. Jim Carrey is very good in a restrained and subtle performance. This is perhaps his best dramatic role. Kate Winslet is decent, but I'm not a fan and she certainly didn't win me over here. Elijah Wood has almost nothing to do. Kirsten Dunst is surprisingly good in her small supporting role. I normally despise Mark Ruffalo, but I actually liked him here.

The best part of the movie are the special effects as Carrey runs through his memories. One scene turns to another with much overlap, much to our viewing pleasure. These are the most bizarre and most enjoyable scenes.

When Kaufman is telling a straightforward story, we tend to quickly lose interest. Dunst's small substory is rather boring and we find ourselves waiting to get back to Carrey and the crazy things happening in his mind.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is much better than the awful Adaptation, but not quite as good as Being John Malkovich.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, The Majestic, The Truman Show