Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (***1/2)
review by Jon Waterman

Joel is unhappy with Clementine. Clementine is unhappy with Joel. Both of them feel it would probably be better if they never even met. Well, now, thanks to Lacuna, Inc., that feeling can become a reality. There’s a new procedure that will erase memories. So, if you no longer want to remember someone from your past, you can. Clementine gets the procedure done which spurs Joel to do the same. Joel starts to have doubts and tries to stop the process from the inside out.

Music video director Michel Gondry takes the helm of this quirky piece and gives it his unique touch. Those familiar with his videos may be less impressed with what they see on the screen. It offers little in terms of new techniques from this inventive man. The music videos are mind-boggling in nature and structure as he floods the frame with sensory overload and defiance of logic during very long, dynamic shots. In the film, he does virtually the same thing, but I guess it just seems expected here. For those who have not seen his previous work, this technique will seem new, fresh and exciting. Secretly, I was hoping for more. It’s a bigger production and I was hoping for a bigger mind-blower. It may seem like I’m bashing his directing and his style and I’m really not. It works extremely well within this particular film and I couldn’t possibly see the movie being done any other way.

If the director’s name doesn’t get you excited about the movie, then what if I mention the writer: Charlie Kaufman. He’s the man behind “Adaptation.” and “Being John Malkovich.” If you enjoyed either of those two, then you’ll probably be of the right mindset to enjoy this one as well. He does a wonderful job with the subject matter. He avoids all of the scientific jargon and focuses on the relationships. He deals with how people would react after the process has taken place and with how strong the mind is. All of Kaufman’s scripts are incredibly intelligent and show evidence that a deeper issue has been thought about and incorporated. His dialogue is fantastic. It’s clever and witty and fluid. And of course the ending knocked me down with how good it was.

The subject may be difficult for some people to handle. It’s a film about relationships taken to an extreme. There’s a lot of pain and emotionality involved. Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey do a wonderful job as the leads in conveying those feelings. Winslet looks out of place to start but quickly absorbs into the character. The acting isn’t phenomenal, but it’s still well above average. In fact, that’s probably the phrase I would use to describe the film as a whole: Not phenomenal, but well above average. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone interested in visually interesting directors, genre-challenging writers or both. I bet this line has been used by dozens of critics already, but…you won’t forget it.

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