Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)March 19th, 2004
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
Simply put, Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) met, courted and fell in love. But, when their romance hits rocky shoals, the free-spirited Clem leaves Joel but cannot deal with the bad memories of him. Unknown to her former soul mate, she undergoes an experimental procedure that will erase all traces of Joel from her mind. When he finds out about her plans Joel becomes angry and wants only to strike back. He seeks out the same doctor, Dr. Mierswiak (Tom Wilkinson), and asks to have Clementine erased from his mind. But, when the procedure gets under way, Joel has second thoughts and tries to hide his memories of his beloved from the relentless mind probes in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
On the surface, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" can be construed as a science fiction-oriented film about technology running rampant. The tale of controlled memory management is rife for sci-fi development. But, the story by Charlie Kaufman, who has created a signature for the offbeat and bizarre with "Being John Malkovich" and the Oscar-nom'd "Adaptation" scripts, delves into a fantastical and romantic world of love lost and found and lost and...found.
I don't think that I want to tell much about the complicated story, a fugitive's tale of a man on the run with the beautiful heroine. The charm and intellectual stimulation of Kaufman's innovative, original script is felt in the chase as Joel undergoes "the procedure" at the hands of the less than attentive mind erasing specialist, Stan (Mark Ruffalo), and his preoccupied assistant, Patrick (Elijah Wood). Complicating things is the arrival of Dr. Mierswiak's flaky assistant, Mary (Kirsten Dunst), who is ready to party hardy while Stan tries to administer treatment in an alcohol and reefer induced haze, requiring the intervention, finally, of the good doctor.
Rubber-faced comic actor Jim Carrey plays it straight as the introspective and shy Joel Barish. Even when he is in love Joel has the look of a man shouldering a great burden. Carrey garners sympathy as his character tries to get back the memories that mean so much to him. Kate Winslet gives her free spirited Clementine the right spin as she falls for Joel but becomes increasingly disillusioned as conflict grows between them and she initiates the memory wipe. The principle supporting cast are background players that director Michel Gondry uses for comic relief and the catalyst for Joel's race against erasure.
The fantasy romance element of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is the most compelling part of the film. Scribe Kaufman weaves his story like a fine piece of cloth that wraps around the viewer's head and stays there. The writer has always shown a talent for the bizarre and his latest shows maturity in its complexity. There is darkness and light to his story as the romance between Joel and Clementine first flourishes, then deteriorates into near bitterness and, finally, comes full circle. It is Paradise found, lost and found, again.
Helmer Gondry works in unison with Kaufman in creating the fantasy world at the center of "Eternal...." It is a tight, dark envisioning that requires the viewer to pay close attention. This is the kind of film that warrants repeated viewings just to discover the nuance and subtlety of Kaufman's story. I give it an A-.
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