Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind movie review

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind released in 2004 is a hard movie to explain, it is a romantic comedy, sci-fi film. The movie stars Jim Carey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, and Kirsten Dunst, and is named after a quote from a classic Alexander Pope poem.

This is a story about a shy introverted man named Joel (Jim Carey), who impulsively hops on a train and goes out to the beach where he meets this crazy quirky girl named Clementine (Kate Winslet), they end up falling in love with each other and start dating. The movie then goes back in time, and we realize that they had dated in the past, but after two years they broke up, and Clementine went to this place called Lacuna to have Joel erased from her mind. Joel discovers this, because one of his friends tells him about it, so he goes in to have her erased from his mind, the bulk of the movie from then on is inside Joel's mind as the memories are being erased, and he starts regretting the decision and starts fighting to keep the memories of Clementine. The movie is a surreal trip through Joel's mind and memories. The movie then goes back to the end which is also the beginning of the film. Kirsten Dunst's character quits Lacuna end sends everyone the tapes of their memories, and Joel and Clementine find out the truth about their relationship, and how it ended, and then are faced with the decision, do they restart this relationship or not. This is honestly an amazing movie, both lead actors playing against type. Jim Carey plays a shy reserved introvert, where as he usually plays a high energy introvert. Kate Winslet on the other hand plays a "manic pixie dream girl" type character, that seems to display all of the traits of someone with borderline personality disorder, though the movie never actually gives her that diagnosis. I love this movie because I find myself very much like the character of Clementine, and some of Joel's criticism of her I see to be true in myself as well, but there is a touch of Joel's shyness and fear in me too, so I found both of these characters very relateable. I also love that this is not your traditional romantic comedy, it is also a bizarre science fiction film, with a surreal feel to it. The script is well written, and the film is perfectly directed. The visuals work really well in creating the surreal feel of being inside someone's mind, it is non-linear and chaotic, it is beautiful and terrifying, there is the sense of losing control as his memories are erased, and the desperate trying to hold on to Clementine, while we feel him literally losing his mind. The characters are all perfectly cast, and the whole cast of very talented actors and actresses play these believable and identifiable characters. This is a beautiful movie, the effects work really well, and some are very subtle and in re-watching of the film the viewer may pick up on things that they missed previously. I think I fell in love with Kate Winslet's portrayal of Clementine she is wild, she is unpredictable and impulsive, she colours her hair often, and has a hard time controlling her rapidly changing emotions, I think I love that character because she is so beautifully flawed, and to me that is a beautiful trait in a person. Her portrayal of Clementine, might be one of her best acting roles that she has ever done. The same goes for Jim Carey, I believe him a Joel, he plays it with sincerity, he looks like he really is this shy introvert with intense social anxiety, the way he mumbles his lines, the way he avoids eye contact, his posture, is frumpy style all helps to create this realistic character. These two actors portray their characters amazingly, and it is actually hard not to believe that this is their true personalities and not just roles they play for a movie. This movie has very few if any flaws, and even the majority of the critics agree that this movie is great with mostly positive reviews, and high ratings. The thing is I don't remember this movie coming out, I didn't discover it until a few years later, which is too bad, because this is one I would like to have seen in the theatre. Would I recommend this movie? Yes, without a doubt, everyone needs to see this movie. This is definitely a must see, and should be on everyone's watch or re-watch list.