Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Widescreen)

Well, after about 30 minutes of trying to get the gist of a supposedly 'interesting' movie, I have to say this is not one I shall invest in for my library. When I read the synopsis of the movie beforehand, it seemed okay, but as the movie progressed it seemed to get more and more confusing. I tend to like movies that at least make SOME sense instead of being so fragmented.

When I first heard of this film it didn't interest me that much but after a number of recommendations I dove into it. Thankfully enough I found "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" an excellent romantic and intriguing comedy-drama about two people who don't truly realize they are in love until one loses the other. Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is a lonely yet sweet man who is looking for true love and the ideal woman. His search ends when he meets Clementine Krucynksi (Kate Winslet), an energetic and wild young woman. Clementine is everything Joel isn't... at least not the Joel the world sees. The feelings locked up inside of him are released through Clementine. They prove you do not have to make love or kiss all the time to be in love. This couple can play music, in the snow, go shopping, or just lounge around at home and the audience can tell they are in love. But as time goes by, their relationship begins to shatter and really goes to the extreme when Joel discovers Clementine erased him from her mind, thanks to a brilliant doctor's invention. Joel contacts the agency, Lacuna Inc., and its main doctor, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), for Joel to receive the same operation. During the evening Dr. Mierzwiak and his team: another doctor/technician (Mark Ruffalo), a lovestruck receptionist/assistant (Kirsten Dunst), and naive (Elijah Wood) perform the operation, Joel evaluates his relationship with Clementine and realizes he is still in love with her and wishes to keep the memories of her.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is an incredible film and one of the greatest modern romantic comedies of our time. It is smart, clever, and charming with an exceptional cast and an intelligent crew. This movie received many excellent reviews and anyone that I've known that has seen it agrees. A movie like that is superb. This movie is unique and makes the audience think and comprehend of what is happening. Carrey delivers a superb performance that made him avoid the "Oscar". His humor mixed with sadness and all the complexity of the character made me understand that he is a great actor (before, Truman Show made the audience give a serious look at this actor) and performer. Kate Winslet, again, delivers a full featured character, a "girl" from town, this "Shakespeare" actress can do it all and likely see the wild and funny side of her, what you would think would be vice versa. The supporting cast consisting of Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, and Tom Wilkinson is does a great job. Charlie Kaufman, as always, writes a phenomenal script with such creativity and intellect. Speaking of intellect, director Michel Gondry uses his own intellect to make this film a spectacle. The shots are captivating and exciting.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a romantic motion picture unlike any other. It is definitely not one of those typical romantic comedies when they both love each other without realizing it. This film captures beauty and the true quality of a great film. This film is one of the better films out there and anyone else who has will agree.

I had to take two runs at this movie. You really have to be in the mood for a dark, plodding movie that hits hard if you give it time to set up the opportunity.

The film touches upon themes like "be careful what you wish for" and "the easy way out may not be the best". Winslet and Carrey are good in their roles. Clementine (Winslet) is spontaneous, flakey, and Carrey is dark, brooding...but they match. There are some very emotional scenes, but not in the typical romantic comedy sense. As whimsical as the premise of the movie is, there's some very real heartbreak and dark reality built in.

Characters are various shades of grey. You'll see hints of selfishness from the main characters, and supporting roles turn out to be just as flawed if not dispicable. There's subtle and sometimes ludicrous humour to be found as well.

All in all this is an excellent film, but I recognize it's not for everyone. If you're looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a romance story to score brownie points, or to make yourself feel better...also look elsewhere. This is a film for when you're looking for something odd, dark, deep, and takes time to let you appreciate it.