ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

Reviewed 3/19/04

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (the title is taken from an Alexander Pope quote) is for anyone who’s been in a turbulent relationship or has endured regret in ending one. After a painful break up, Joel (Carrey) and Clementine (Winslet) undergo a treatment at Lacuna, Inc. to remove all their memories of the other. Head doctor Howard Merzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), secretary Mary (Kirsten Dunst), and technicians Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and Patrick (Elijah Wood) all take part in the process as complications arise.

The plot description cannot begin to do justice to the marvelous way this movie is put together and the perceptive human observation on display. At first, the movie might seem to have as much temporal shuffling as 21 GRAMS, but soon the narrative logic becomes clear. One narrative line follows the development of Joel and Clementine’s relationship in Joel’s memories as they are erased in reverse chronological order. This is intercut with everything going outside of his mind. At some point, viewers will realize what the apparent ending is, which makes the apparent conflict between Joel’s subconscious wishing to retain his memories and Lacuna, Inc. trying to rid them seem superfluous, and in some ways it is. The movie isn’t nearly as much about what is going to happen to Joel as about how important Joel’s memories suddenly become to him.

Jim Carrey, like many comics before him, has long pursued the ambitions of being taken seriously as a dramatic actor while not realizing that screenplays that don’t announce their own importance or magnificence have a much better chance of actually being important or magnificent. After mixed results in THE TRUMAN SHOW, MAN ON THE MOON, and THE MAJESTIC, Carrey finally hits one out of the park with this romantic sci-fi comedy. This is the first film to make me forget I’m watching Jim Carrey. There’s no mugging, no calling attention to himself, no exaggerating, no play for sentimentality. For the first time, Carrey simply plains a very normal, understated human being, and he’s terrific finally finding his naturalism. Winslet, as usual, is just plain wonderful, American accent and all. Is there another actress out there besides Samantha Morton who is so consistently terrific in whatever project she’s in? Everyone else is great too with Dunst perhaps pulling off her best performance yet.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE marks yet another mammoth achievement for writer Charlie Kaufman, most well known for his Spike Jonze collaborations, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH and ADAPTATION. This is Kaufman’s second effort with director Michel Gondry after the well conceptualized but poorly executed HUMAN NATURE. Gondry couldn’t quite find the proper tone of whimsy for that film, but SUNSHINE brims with effortless style and grace. It is a powerfully moving work of hope over the inevitable pain in human relationships.