How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.
- Alexander Pope (from Eloisa to Abelard)
Apart from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, this is the movie I have been most looking forward to in 2004. Then as the brilliant trailer for the flick began to surface at nearly every movie I attended from December to February, my mouth began to water and my anticipation grew to almost unbearable levels. Not only is it written by my new favorite scribe, Charlie Kaufman, but its a romance starring Jim Carrey in a role tailor made for him. My anticipation was met and even exceeded by this delightful film for people who don’t like to turn their brain off when they go to the movies.
When we first meet Joel Barish, he is impulsively hopping on a train to Montauk. Its Valentine’s Day, and the cerebral Barish is lost in his daily routines and loveless life. There he meets blue-haired Clementine, who seems to be the total opposite of Joel in everyway: spontaneous, extroverted, and loud. (And all of this happens before the opening credits!) Its at this point in a regular romance that these two strangers jump hurdles and eventually fall in love. Not so for this movie, in which we hardly get to know our romantic leads before they are ripped apart. After this introduction, the film jumps back several days before Valentine’s Day. Joel is devastated about his break up from his spontaneous, blue-haired girlfriend, Clementine. Seeking solace from his friends, he discovers that Clementine had a radical procedure preformed as a result of their breakup, and has had all memories of Joel erased from her mind. In rage, Joel seeks out Lacuna, Inc. -- the company which performs this “form of brain damage, on par with a night of heavy drinking,” -- and demands they give him the same procedure. From this point, the movie shifts into another setting: that of Joel’s brain. As Dr. Howard Mierzwiak, technicians Stan and Patrick, and receptionist Mary work on erasing every memory of Clementine from the farthest regions of Joel‘s brain, we explore the relationship of Joel and Clementine through these memories: the good and the bad.
I know my description of the movie may seem rather complicated, and enough to make smoke billow from your ears. But for the attentive movie-watcher, this is no more complicated than Kaufman’s past masterpiece, Adaptation. Rather than confusing the audience, Kaufman turns the stock characters and stock storylines of cookie-cutter romances on their head. By seamlessly interweaving elements of fantasy (and scientific horror? George Orwell must be drooling in his grave) and romance, creates a film that is truly unique, and in a genre all its own. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is likely the most original film to come out of Hollywood in years.
Last summer, Bruce Almighty was a mega-hit, which proved once again that Jim Carrey was worth his 20 million of flick salary, and that its comedy he does best. At least this was the general conception. I didn‘t really care for Bruce Almighty. But for me and any other detractors, if Bruce Almighty didn‘t do it for you, then Eternal Sunshine will. THIS is the movie that proves Jim Carrey is worth his 20 million. Not only does he flawlessly segue from comedy to drama, but he delivers his best performance of his career. Interestingly enough, the same can be said for everyone else in the supporting cast. Kate Winslet, best known for believing that she can fly, adds another home-run onto her resume. Even though her role is small, Kirstin Dunst also gives her best performance. She may be best known and remembered as Mary Jane in Spider-Man, but its here where she proves she really can act.
The critics’ consensus of Eternal Sunshine has been overwhelmingly positive; garnering some of the best reviews of the year. Yet among all the raves, a select few have commented that while this is a very good movie, its a movie to admire rather than to love. I respectfully disagree. While the movie may take old cliches and throw them out the window, I don’t understand why traveling a beaten path equates to “love,” and trailblazing new ground earns simply “admiration.” Not only do I admire everything about this movie -- from the performances, to the look, and of course the script -- but I have also fallen in love with this movie.
Grade: A
© 2004 Jacob Sproul
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