Unfortunately, I watched this film for the first time so long ago that I don't remember my initial reaction. It has, however, left an everlasting impression.I was actually surprised when I looked at the DVDs on my shelf that neither I nor Dr. Worm have reviewed this movie yet. Eternal Sunshine falls in my top 5 films of all time, and whenever I get to chance to talk it up to an unsuspecting passer-by, I jump at it. It gets better with time, and in my opinion, this is due to the great performances and incredible attention to detail by the filmmakers. I didn't watch it in full before I wrote this review, but I popped it in to refresh myself on a scene or two, and had a hard time turning if off again.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a romantic comedy starring Jim Carrey (as Joel) and Kate Winslet (Clementine), directed by the incredibly artistic Michel Gondry and written by himself and Charlie Kaufman. In this film, the exceptionally timid Joel Barish meets and falls for the demonstrative and quirky Clementine. Seemingly an unlikely pair, the two awkwardly hit it off and begin a relationship. But the film, which jumps around in time a bit, quickly fast forwards to their break-up and a broken-up Joel. After an encounter with Clementine that he doesn't understand, during which she seems to pretend she doesn't even know him, he turns to his friends in confusion and pain. Eventually Joel learns the truth: that Clementine had him erased from her memory.
Joel can't seem to wrap his mind around this idea, so he finds the doctor who performed the procedure. Angered that she would do such a thing, he decides to undergo the same procedure out of spite and a hope that maybe this would help the pain to go away. And so most of the rest of the film happens in Joel's mind, as we track his memories of his relationship with Clementine backwards through time. As he relives these memories, he feels vindicated that the recent, tumultuous times they'd been experiencing are no longer his to remember. As he goes further back, however, he begins to realize the true meaning and the gravity of his choice. Unfortunately, once the procedure has begun, there is no backing out of it.
The other characters in Eternal Sunshine complement Carrey and Winslet to a T. Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst and Tom Wilkinson all stand out without being overpowering. There are some really great comedic moments, but it really isn't as straightforward a comedy as most others are, more subtle and dramatic due to the fact that it's portraying a difficult break-up.
This movie is incredibly filmed. Every time I watch it, I notice some detail or nuance that I didn't see before. Even though it jumps around in time, it doesn't happen in a way that is too confusing or difficult to put together. I absolutely loved how memory is represented, and how the filmmakers depict the erasing of those memories. Carrey and Winslet are absolutely wonderful--they have great chemistry, and they seemed to effortlessly show us honest feelings and depth of character. Finally, I really love the main thrust of the film. So often when we experience a particularly painful loss, we want relief as immediate as possible. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of people who would jump at the chance to erase someone or something from their memory. But if that happens, we lose a part of ourselves as well. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind aptly proclaims this message and helps us to see the beauty in our day to day pain.
Rating: 20
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is beautifully and creatively filmed. Joel and Clementine have a captivating story, and the outlandish nature of the plot nicely highlights some simple, basic truths about life and love. It's funny, touching, life-affirming, and well-done...just what I think a movie should be.
Favorite Lines:
"Sand is overrated. It's just tiny, little rocks."
"I'm making a birdhouse."
4-Year-Old Joel: "I really want her to pick me up. It's weird how strong that desire is."
9 comments:
nice review.
Its strange, but the first time I was this movie, my wife and I had the same reaction. We both didn't like it very much. We thought it was a bit silly and dumb. We were both incredibly disappointed because we were looking forward to it so much.
Then we decided to give it another try and we both loved it. I think we just didn't get it the first time =)
Bang-up review, WLC. I don't think it's possible to overstate how good this movie is.
To stoke discussion, however, I'll draw everyone's attention to the ending (assuming we all have seen it). Did you see the ending as a happy ending or a sad one? I had my own take, but I've been surprised to hear others disagree with me. How did you all take it?
I saw the ending as slightly happy. They seemed to be getting a fresh start but were apprehensive towards each other because of all that had happened.
I definitely see it as a positive ending. I don't know if I would use the word "happy" though. I saw it as a moment when they realize the power of choice in a relationship, as well as a deeper understanding of what relationships consist of. Personally, I think they make their decision with a lot of wisdom that they didn't originally have, and that people in general would be better off starting relationships in this way!
like WLC said, the ending isn't particularly happy, but i think there's a lot of hope in it. despite all the confusion, lying, bitterness, anger, misunderstanding, and mistreatment, Joel and Clementine's connection is undeniable, even to themselves. the lesson here is that love is unpredictable, and is stronger than we give it credit for. even after all that has happened, there is still that spark of curiosity, the desire to see what's going to happen next. that curiosity turns out to be stronger than the impulse to just walk away. in this case, that's a very good thing.
Thanks for the comments, all. For my part, I also saw the ending as happy. Like Joel and Clementine saw clearly that there would be a lot of crap they'd have to put up with from each other, but said, "You know what? You're still worth it."
I brought this question up because I've heard from others who saw the ending as bleak--as proving that humans are doomed to repeat their mistakes or something along those lines. I was mindblown when I heard that, so I thought I'd toss it out to you guys to get your take.
Here's how I see the ending. These people are both aware that they drove each other crazy the first time, enough to want to rid their memories of the other, yet they still are drawn to each other. I think tat speaks to love in the way that someone may drive you crazy but that doesn't change your feelings for them. I would rate it as a happy ending.
First, I think your rating does some injustice to the film. Why only 20?
Second, I think it's the script that is the primary reason why the film is so good. I wonder whether it would have been better if the male hero was portrayed using a more "reliable" actor.
And third, regarding the happy/sad ending interpretations, I think the question is slightly irrelevant. The end was mostly a strike at fatalism, put in probably so that people would ask whether we're prone to make the same mistakes we've done in the past, whether these can be interpreted as mistakes in the first place, and whether there is someone out there that is just meant for us. Happiness and sadness can be found, to one extent or another, in all of the interpretations. One may as well argue that given we're a collection of atoms going through sophisticated chemical reactions, there is no such thing as free will to begin with; everything's pre-determined.
I enjoyed the movie.
As for the ending I thought it was good. It had people look at their lives when their tapes were returned to them and they then had to choose how to deal with their choices.
To continue or to change.
I thought it was encouraging that Joel and Clementine chose to continue their relationship with full knowledge of the difficulties of what they may face.
It makes me soberly look at my own life and decisions. What have I learned and taken away from all of my experiences. Do I stay the same or do I change?
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