Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

[Hal]

Title: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Year: 2004
Director: Michel Gondry
Rating: R
Length: 108 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: DTS: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Jim Carrey
Kate Winslet
Gerry Robert Byrne
Elijah Wood
Thomas Jay Ryan

Plot:
From acclaimed writer Charlie Kaufman and visionary director Michel Gondry comes Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. An all-star ensemble cast shines in this comical and poignant look at breakups, breakdowns and breakthroughs.

Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has had their tumultous relationship erased from her mind. Out of desperation, he contacts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), to get the same treatment. But as his memories of Clementine begin to fade, Joel suddenly realizes how much he still loves her.

Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood co-star in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - a memorable film that The Wall Street Journal calls "a romantic comedy unlike any other!"

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Music Videos
Lacuna Commercial

My Thoughts:

I was actually expecting to have to struggle through this movie because I am not a fan of Jim Carrey, but I was quite pleasantly surprised.  I quite enjoyed this film, in spite of it being just a little far-fetched and screwy.  Carrey and Winslet were quite good in their “mismatched” romance, and the little twists and turns that the movie took kept your interest throughout, while you had to try to figure out what was real and what wasn’t and when.  The concept of the movie was quite intriguing, and the way in which that concept was filmed in several scenes was quite entertaining.
I had a personal connection as well, having been born in Rockville Center and spending time in Montauk as a child.

Rating:

[Jon]

I really liked this film. I thought it was clever how Carrey and Winslet each played a role with a personality you'd normally expect of the other one. So Winslet was fiery and slightly nuts, while Carrey was kind of straight for once.

But if you're a bit apprehensive about his movies, have you ever seen The Truman Show?

[Hal]

But if you're a bit apprehensive about his movies, have you ever seen The Truman Show?

No, I haven't seen this.  I've seen him in The Cable Guy and Dumb & Dumber and have seen him in several interviews, and just wrote him off after that.

I'll check it out!

[Jon]

Yes, you must! It's a great film, a sort of modern day Capra.

[Antares]

I quite enjoyed this film, in spite of it being just a little far-fetched and screwy.  Carrey and Winslet were quite good in their “mismatched” romance, and the little twists and turns that the movie took kept your interest throughout, while you had to try to figure out what was real and what wasn’t and when.  The concept of the movie was quite intriguing, and the way in which that concept was filmed in several scenes was quite entertaining.

Welcome to the wacky world of Charlie Kaufman!

You should also check out Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.

[Antares]

Oh, and I agree with Jon about The Truman Show. 

[Jon]

I quite enjoyed this film, in spite of it being just a little far-fetched and screwy.  Carrey and Winslet were quite good in their “mismatched” romance, and the little twists and turns that the movie took kept your interest throughout, while you had to try to figure out what was real and what wasn’t and when.  The concept of the movie was quite intriguing, and the way in which that concept was filmed in several scenes was quite entertaining.

Welcome to the wacky world of Charlie Kaufman!

You should also check out Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.

I thought Adaptation was superb. One of the cleverest screenplays for years and no-one seems to have noticed. Only Kaufman could gets the rights to a book, fail to adapt it, and so write a film about him failing to adapt it, while -in the fiction- his twin brother keeps trying to write a Hollywood blockbuster, which he refuses to do, but then! He clearly gets writers block and the final act is him giving into action film clichés.  Utterly brilliant. I bet he psychiatrists refuse to see him because he would send them nuts!

[Antares]

Have you sen Synecdoche, New York yet?

I've heard mixed reviews on it, and have been holding off watching it.

[Jon]

Yes, me too. Definitely splitting opinions that one! I'm sure I remember Empire gave it a five star review on cinema release, but on DVD, only three...

[Hal]

I quite enjoyed this film, in spite of it being just a little far-fetched and screwy.  Carrey and Winslet were quite good in their “mismatched” romance, and the little twists and turns that the movie took kept your interest throughout, while you had to try to figure out what was real and what wasn’t and when.  The concept of the movie was quite intriguing, and the way in which that concept was filmed in several scenes was quite entertaining.

Welcome to the wacky world of Charlie Kaufman!

You should also check out Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.

Yes, I've seen Being John Malkovich (very strange, didn't really care for it), but I'll have to look into Adaptation.

[Antares]

I quite enjoyed this film, in spite of it being just a little far-fetched and screwy.  Carrey and Winslet were quite good in their “mismatched” romance, and the little twists and turns that the movie took kept your interest throughout, while you had to try to figure out what was real and what wasn’t and when.  The concept of the movie was quite intriguing, and the way in which that concept was filmed in several scenes was quite entertaining.

Welcome to the wacky world of Charlie Kaufman!

You should also check out Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.

Yes, I've seen Being John Malkovich (very strange, didn't really care for it), but I'll have to look into Adaptation.

I also didn't care for Being John Malkovich the first time I watched it, but with a subsequent viewing, I fell in love with it.

[Antares]

I'm sure I remember Empire gave it a five star review on cinema release, but on DVD, only three...

 

[Jon]

I'm sure I remember Empire gave it a five star review on cinema release, but on DVD, only three...

 

 

That's why I like the magazine. It's led by contributors not editors, so they have no qualms about a different reviewer coming to a different conclusion. Their most famous (notorious?) is probably Forrest Gump which had a five star review reduced to two! Sums up peoples reactions though.