Movies We Like
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
BOY MEETS GIRL Mild-mannered, sheepish, shy Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) meets his polar opposite in wild, weirdo, eccentric Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) and romance ensues, again...
NOTE: Winslet reminds me a lot of a younger Madonna for one reason or another is this film. Perhaps it's her demeanor, eyebrows or hair, I'm not certain. However, it's something I feel in my guts.
WHAT IF... Imagine suffering the ill effects of love lost: a frustrated mind, a tear streamed face and a broken heart. Would you erase the events of the past relationship that left you in this current state if you could? Perhaps this would help you to get on with your life and not be distracted by those thoughts and feelings?
YOU'RE IN LUCK Clementine has her memory of Joel erased by the dysfunctional and clumsily staffed Lacuna Corporation headed by Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson). Lacuna also employs Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, David Cross and Kirsten Dunst. The Lacuna team as it turns out knows its product first hand or heart for that matter [tee hee].
SYNTAX ERROR Post break up Joel realizes that Clementine has erased him from her consciousness and in turn decides to do the same. As Joel undergoes the process of having "Clem" erased from his consciousness he realizes that he still loves her. Here's where the optical magic of director Michel Gondry is put to work.
THE WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND [OR AT LEAST JOEL’S] Joel delves deeper into his subconscious trying to hold on [literally] to thoughts of Clem as his "love and hate memories" are systematically being wiped out. Music video and filmmaker Gondry has always brought his unique imagination to the table. He tends to be subtler here with some of his otherwise technical sight gags than in previous endeavors. In Eternal Sunshine he does not disappoint, faceless figures and Mobius Strip street scenes are just a few of his slight of eye tricks. This ultimately helps the dramatic/romantic aspects of the storyline by not completely distracting us, the viewer, from the plot with too many eye sores. The teaming of Gondry with scribe Charlie Kaufman is, in my opinion, a great idea, a good movie and golden. Kaufman's warped sense of humor, plot alignment and purely unique brand of storytelling are only enhanced and polished with a director like Gondry at the helm.
“WE’LL MEET AGAIN, DON’T KNOW WHERE, DON’T KNOW WHEN”… Perhaps the best place to start at love is at the end, again… And if not just think on these words: “Random thoughts for Valentine's day, 2004. Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap”. – Joel Barish
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Kate Winslet was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.
