Movie Description
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is an unconventional romance told in the abstract, inventive, and comedic storytelling style of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Like his scripts for ADAPTATION and BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, this plot works off of a relatively complex idea that is more easily explained through the language of film than through words. In its most basic description, Joel (Jim Carrey) is undergoing a medical procedure to erase the memory of his ex-girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet). However, while he is unconscious and the procedure is underway, he takes a journey through his mind, reliving moments with Clementine for fear of losing her forever. Using disjointed sound and action, foggy periods indicating Joel's confusion, and flashbacks to childhood where objects appear much bigger than they are to adult eyes, the cinematography communicates Joel's dilemma with visual hilarity. Only occasionally is the film laugh-out-loud funny; instead it is much more deeply and darkly amusing as the absurdity of the situation grows. ETERNAL SUNSHINE is nothing short of brilliant--a credit to director Michel Gondry (who has a topnotch reputation for his aesthetic music videos by artists such as Bjork). Carrey is wonderfully understated in the role of a simpleminded nice guy, and his signature goofiness is used only a handful of times. Winslet lights up the screen with her blue hair and orange sweatshirt, playing a lively free spirit and loose cannon. There are also strong supporting performances by Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, and Mark Ruffalo, along with an excellent score by Jon Brion and a peppy soundtrack including songs by E.L.O. and the Polyphonic Spree. The film's conclusion promises to satisfy viewers; it offers a beautiful metaphor for the end of a love affair that brings perfect closure to this excellent film.
| Credits | | Producer: | Steve Golin | | Cast: | David Cross, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo |
| Details | | Edition: | Canadian;Blu-ray Disc |
Editorial Reviews
"Gondry and the pitch-perfect actors have crafted a remarkable film that can coax a smile about making the same mistakes in love and then sneak up and quietly break your heart."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (04/01/2004)
"[A] masterpiece....Kate Winslet is truly remarkable....The supporting cast is brilliant..."
Premiere - Glenn Kenny (04/01/2004)
"[Gondry] can define contradictory emotions with extraordinary clarity and alacrity. It's why he's so suited to handling much of this particular Kaufman script."
New York Times - Elvis Mitchell (03/19/2004)
"ETERNAL SUNSHINE is more than anything else deeply sincere."
Los Angeles Times - Manohla Dargis (03/19/2004)
"Watching ETERNAL SUNSHINE, you don't just watch a love story - you fall in love with what love really is."
Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman (03/26/2004)
"ETERNAL SUNSHINE has an emotional center, and that's what makes it work."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (03/19/2004)
"Going to the movies would be an eternally wondrous experience if more movies were as smart, ambitious, offbeat and emotionally rich as ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND."
USA Today - Claudia Puig (03/19/2004)
"There's a tenderness and a wistfulness to Kaufman's writing and Carrey's performance..."
Box Office - Ray Greene (05/01/2004)
"It's another screenwriting triumph for the prodigiously gifted Charlie Kaufman, directed with visionary panache by Michel Gondry."
Uncut - Allan Jones (11/01/2004)
5 stars out of 5 -- "ETERNAL SUNSHINE is a profound and heart-clenching romantic fantasy....This is a film to own and cherish forever."
Ultimate DVD - David Richardson (08/01/2007)
Awards
2004Academy AwardsBest Original ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman, 2004Academy AwardsBest Original ScreenplayMichel Gondry, 2004Academy AwardsBest Original ScreenplayPierre Bismuth
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