Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Review By derekmay

Charlie Kaufman can’t be human. Or, maybe he’s the most human person of all? Either way, he’s one of the VERY few writers around who can manage to craft a completely original, funny, thought-provoking and eerily disturbing story that turns everything you know on it’s head while keeping you comfortably grounded.

Even stranger is that reviewers don’t usually spend much time praising the writer over the star or the director. But here’s a case where the brilliant direction of Frenchman Michel Gondry and the charismatic acting of Jim Carrey would’ve been all for naught without a story that captures us all by itself.

After delving beyond the surreal in movies like Being John Malkovich, Confession of a Dangerous Mind and Adaptation you’d have to wonder if the bright star might eventually burn out. I mean, how many times can one person screw with our heads? Well, at least one more. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kaufman returns to the inner workings of the mind only this time to find, of all things, romance. Has there ever been a romantic comedy taking place almost entirely in someone’s head? And we’re talking a real pairing, not figments or computer babes. Kaufman uses a non-linear format to slowly strengthen a relationship that already existed both inside and outside the mind. Confused? Well, I’d be too, unless I was Charlie Kaufman.

But alas, he’s not the only star as Jim Carrey proves once again he’s not just another rubber face. Here he’s genuinely pathetic, troubled, odd and probably the least deserving of Kate Winslet, who steals the show with her voracious performance and subtly provocative sex appeal. The two of them play off each other so well you’d think they’d been making movies together for years. Unfortunately, with the movie’s anorexic marketing campaign resulting is few people getting to see this film, it’s doubtful either Carrey or Winslet will get the critical praise they so richly deserve. But as with any movie, a top-notch supporting cast can make or break a film, and here we have a definite ensemble of makers in the wonderfully charming Tom Wilkinson and the delightfully off-beat Mark Ruffalo. Kirsten Dunst and Elijah Wood perform their parts adequately but don’t exactly give the performances of a lifetime. Which is fine, this is a story that holds its own.

Fans of non-linear, psychologically-driven films will find this film a masterpiece. Those who like their stories straight and narrow may find it a bit hard to follow at times and may miss some of the subtleties director Gondry adds to let us know where we’re at. This is a movie that takes you on a roller coaster ride through the mind and memories of a love-struck man trying to decide if pain really equals pleasure. It might also be argued that it’s a journey through the mind of Charlie Kaufman, and that I couldn’t begin to describe suffice to say that not since the noir thrillers of the ‘40’s has a writer been more continuously adept at laying everything you already know at your feet, but in such a way that you’d never have guessed it.

This is definitely one for the lovers of great film, great story-telling and great acting. The combination of elements, especially Kaufman and Carrey, combine to a tour-de-force of mind-boggling etherealness and wit. If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, this is your film. Look at it this way, this weekend you can watch zombies eating brains or writer’s running through them. You decide.