Film: Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

[skywise]

I don't believe I haven't posted in here. I saw this at the movies the day it came out and loved it. Def. my favorite kaufman film (and I love bjm, adaptation, and confessions of a dangerous mind). The scenes of him running around in his head looked like acid.

And I really liked the relationship in the movie. Even though it was clear that she wasn't exactly wonderful for him, kaufman's message seems to be "so what" as they continue their not fairy tale relationship because, well, they love eachother and want to. I think a lot of people can relate to that.

 

[DemonsFall]

This is one of my favorite films of the last few years, possibly of all time. The concept was so original and the themes were something I think that most anyone could relate to on some level. The visual direction was astounding, you could tell that a lot of hard work went into it. I loved how they would show things just dissapearing and changing as he lost his memories. I'm not too familair with Michel Gondry's work, but based on this film I'm truly impressed by his ability and look forward to seeing more.

The performances were really excellent all around. Jim Carrey was at his best, and Kate winslet was also excellent.

Kaufman seems to have a running theme that we love who love and there's not much we can do about it.

 

[WarmRushes]

I think this is my favourite film, it's beautiful.

I just bought it today, after seeing it in the cinemas months ago and once again was fully moved almost to tears. Absolute stunning visuals and direction by Gondry.

Carrey was fantastic, best performance he has ever done. I don't really find him funny at all, he's a far better actor in a role like this and I enjoyed this side of him immensly.

Winslet once again suprised me, by proving she can take a role and make it her own.

I find it almost too personal, dwelling in memories and past mistakes. In short, this film really speaks to me.

10 out of fucking 10 :D

 

[psychoblast]

Very good movie. It is interesting how Kaufman trades off believability for weirdness. Like, to get the payoff of a movie where a person is running through memories trying to save them from deletion, and all the fun you can have with that (and all the poignancy), you have to suspend disbelief in a number of matters:

1) That a memory-erasing service really exists and works (like a person's friends would go along with the service rather than try to satisfy their curiosity about why the person did it, as one example.)
2) That such a service can be so quick and affordable that the characters can do it on a spur of the moment whim.
3) That the receptionist at the memory place could have had an affair with her boss erased (um...how odd would it be for her to go to work with all memories of her boss erased? How would that even work? It wouldn't, even if you can accept that such a memory erasing service could work.)

Anyway, it is a recurring gimmick, to trade off some original, trippy approach to story-telling for a certan level of belief-suspension. I mean, I still like it.

Like Human Nature was amazing, a great approach to a commentary on human nature (maybe my favorite Kaufman movie still). But it asks you to suspend disbelief that a boy left alone in the woods in North America could grow to adulthood in the wild, that such a boy could then be taken by a scientist and used as an experimental subject, could learn complex civilized speech and behavior patterns in a matter of months just from basic negative reinforcement techniques (electroshocks), could get a hearing before Congress to lecture them on how civilization has turned people immoral, etc. But suspending your disbelief on all the stuff that obviously is phony is worth the payoff.

It is also sort of a shell game. If the setting is weird enough, you will be so off base you may not notice all the phoniness that would otherwise stand out like a red flag. So Kaufman uses sleight of hand by making his scripts weird enough that you fail to notice the parts of the story that are fundamentally dishonest. I suppose he is trading surface dishonesty for deeper honesty in commenting on life and people and relationships.

I wonder if he could keep the weirdness and lose the dishonesty? That would be quite an achievement (Adaptation might come close.)

~psychoblast~

 

[Goodspeed]

I just got done watching it on ppv, I gotta admit, WOW, as I had posted in SLR a few months ago, I went thru a horrible break up and for the longest time wanted to erase my ex from my head so I was able to indentify with joel and like joel I figured out that there are good memories too not just bad.

As I sit here I don't know if I can give a true review of the movie cause I'm still speechless. Beautiful is the only word that comes to my mind, Beautiful

 

[MynameisnotDeja]

I LOVED this movie!

 

[Donny Don't]

I saw this movie on a plane, after having not slept for 24 hours, and honestly i just didn't get it at all. I'd never heard of it before then, and certainly don't recall any ads for it when and if it was in the cinemas.

I looked it up on IMDB when i got home and nearly fell off my chair when i saw how high a rating it got

 

[error745]

Ordered it last Friday w/ the wife. We don't get out much. We're about 700 miles from a good babysitter.

Anyway, she fell asleep. Wound up ordering it again the next day so that she could see it. It was a beautiful film. Hit hard at a lot of levels. I love any media where you can look again at the same thing and see new depths.

No one mentioned the sad but heroic part about how Joel gave up parts of his childhood (the most obvious being the huckelberry hound thing, and it's relevance to the flick, "you were lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry Clementine"). & how he fought for her memory as if he were fighting for life. That's a concept.

I thought I'd mention that so I could feel as if I was adding something to this thread.

Kate definitely has redeemed herself for the Titanic.

 

[Meesh]

I think that the only reason someone would NOT understand or appreciate this movie would be if they did not have the mental capacity to keep up with it. I saw it with my girlfriend the other night, and i think its a movie like "momento" i need to watch it a bunch of times to catch everything...like you see new things every time you watch it. truely one of kaufman's and Carrey's greater works. Its amazing that films can still be original. i have to say that i was laughing histerically when i saw "baby Joel"..anybody else?

 

[TiberCross]

originally posted by PlurredChemistry
one of the best flicks i've seen in a while...

brought out the hopeless romantic in me (which is DIFFICULT as he is hidden far away in the depths of my mind)

my only complaint is that (if you're paying attention), they give it away far too early in the movie...for a while i was just waiting for it to reach its conculsion (which isn't to say i didn't enjoy it, but that is my only problem with the movie)

ditto.

 

[DarthMom]

I was so excited about seeing this film, and when I sat down to watch it, I was so bored, I couldn't get past the first 30 minutes. ended up not getting finishing it. Will try again, after reading all these great reviews

I had my sick boy in the room who was stressing me out a bit, so that may have been the problem. A mind numbing action flick no brainer would have probably been a better choice given the situation.

 

[Mr_AuDiO]

One of the best films in 2004 and one of the best films I have seen! Really touched me. Great acting by Carrey and Winslet, Gondry really provided us with a great world of imagery. Absolutely love this, highly recommended!

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

Oh wow, I just saw this film.

I think I counted at least 5 times the corners of my mouth turned up and my face crumpled and tears sprung to my eyes... it was just so goddamn poignant.

The movie's themes really struck me: the absolute preciousness of memories, and how much a part of our souls our mistakes are - how much we even need to own our mistakes to feel whole.

Winslet's performance was enchanting. I doubt any other actress could have pulled it off with as much charm and endearment.

Two of my favourite parts of the movie:

Clementine: "Take me somewhere to hide until morning, somewhere you remember before me". Joel: "...... I can't remember anything without you."

... made me think how all-encompassing our relationships are.... I had to think hard to think of a memory before my boyfriend... just for a second.

And the final scene:

Joel: "I can't see anything I don't like about you!"
Clementine: "But you will... you will find things. And I'll get bored with you and feel trapped, because that's what happens with me".
(Long silence)
Joel: "Okay."
Clementine (realising) "Okay!"

.... and then the music starts, "Everybody's gotta live sometime".

Oh so true

Wonderful movie.

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

I was so excited about seeing this film, and when I sat down to watch it, I was so bored, I couldn't get past the first 30 minutes. ended up not getting finishing it. Will try again, after reading all these great reviews

I had my sick boy in the room who was stressing me out a bit, so that may have been the problem. A mind numbing action flick no brainer would have probably been a better choice given the situation.

You do really need to concentrate. It takes a little while to creep up on you, unless you're a real fan of Kaufman's work, in which case you'll be enthralled from start to finish.

 

[srw96]

It does take a while to creep, and you do need to pay attention to it. But once you do it's honestly one of the most touching movies I've ever seen.

Gondry put on screen what I can't put into words.

 

[Strawberry_lovemuffin]

^ so true.
It either makes you look back on your failed relationships and say "I wouldn't change a thing", or look at your current relationship in all it's flawed beauty and say "this is what shapes my life - and who gives a fuck if I make mistakes".

 

[jpgrdnr]

Yep it reminds me a lot of my girlfriend and I in highschool basically getting into trouble and doing stupid stuff (I feel like a creep coz I still think of her, but whatevs). But a really original film. Kudos to Gondry.
I think Kate and Jim really did some fine acting in the film. Carrey basically proved to me that he is an actor (up there with De Niro, Anthony Hopkins, Robert Duvall, etc.). He should get an oscar or something. Or a globe.

 

[rm-rf]

i diddnt really like this movie. personally i felt nothing but bad vibes, it really reminded me like a bad trip that just wouldn't end. i diddnt even watch the last 30 minutes of it, it really put me in that bad of a mood.

 

[staind rose]

i thought it was boring and not very thought provoking

 

[glitterbizkit]

eternal sunshine, however, while never becoming cheesy, fake or sentimental, manages to be among the most romantic and touching films i've ever seen.

same here. I actually watched it when it first came out, and I loved it then, even though I had missed the first 15 minutes of the film- that is, the whole of jim & kates second 'first meeting'- an important part of the movie, so when I watched it for the second time last night it was like watching it all over for the first time. Amazing. The only other Kaufman movie I've watched is Adaptation, and while I can agree that Adaptation was good, it really wasn't my cup of tea.