Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind on DVD (2004)

Peerless

Aman1 from Middlesex , 20/08/2004

This is an intensely moving film. It is uncommon to see a film that has a peerless script, groundbreaking directing and wonderfully gifted acting all in one film.

This is Kaufman’s best script to date, combining the ambitiousness of Adaptation and the mind mapping scenario of Being John Malkovich. It merges both, and transcends them, and is probably the finest script he will ever write. Structurally it is watertight, and multiple viewings confirm this. It is always easy for a film with multiple flashbacks to lose itself, or become confusing, but Eternal manages to find a balance not seen since Memento.

Gondry’s cinematic directorial debut is simply a pleasure to watch. He allows the actors a degree of freedom, which helps produce the remarkable acting that they provide. His unique camerawork suits the script perfectly, and one can only hope him and Kaufman can work together again.

Kate Winslet is shockingly good in this film, and Carey is not far behind; although once or twice he strays into his pre-Truman Show sort of role. The rest of the cast is equally strong, with Tom Wilkinson playing his role with a remarkably subtle charisma.

All of these ingredients together provide a highly unusual and rewarding viewing experience.

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Eternal Sunshine Shines!!!

balearicbayes from Denny [Highly rated reviewer] , 25/04/2007

This is the kind of movie Hollywood should be making more of, a film with an actual original story, great characters you can fall in love with, superb soundtrack and no need for overblown CGI effects!!!

Yeah it may be confusing on first viewing with the story's twist and turns, but if you concentrate, what materialises is the most original, heart-warming and unconventional love story around!!

Just imagine if the script had fallen into the wrong directors hands......there'd have been another instantly forgettable cheesy rom-com out there in the world!!!

Eternal Sunshine is not simply a love story, but an amalgalm of genre's, which whilst confusing is also the most rewarding film you'll ever see. I've lost count how many times i've seen it and I still spot something different everytime.

Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are exceptional as always,here acting against type which is refreshing to see them getting their teeth into a different kind of role than they're used to. There is also a great supporting cast to back them up.

Eternal Sunshine is by far my favourite movie in recent memory, so if you love your quirky indie films with a twist of absurdity and a touch of genius I urge you to watch this!!!!

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One of the Best Films of the Year

feelinglistless from Liverpool , 02/05/2004

I love that we live in a decade when something like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind isn't just made but is also a major film release. Apart from having to go to a box office and say that title in order to order a ticket, its where that ticket is being sold - at a large multiplex near you. On top of 21 Grams, its as though Hollywood, looking back at the many years of film history, through German Existentialism, French New Wave and the Easy Riders of the sixties, feels some kind of continued obligation to present something intelligent and experimental in amongst its more traditional fare. Which is a great, great thing.

Not that everything within is entirely original. A woman takes the rather rash decision to buy in process in which she has all of the memories of her boyfriend wiped from her mind and in pain and spite he does the same. Deliberate memory loss is a genre stock-in trade - and the appearance of someone in their own head or someone elses rationalizing what is happening is something which has turned up in almost every tv show from Star Trek to Buffy -- hell even the Jennifer Lopez clunker The Cell hung on that very idea. But here it's about execution. And whereas in most other cases its been subservient to some greater plot-arc or subplot, here they're asking the rather bigger questions of why memories are important and how they aid in making us who we are and also how important the people we've met and our collective experiences further our understanding of ourselves.

The writer, Charlie Kauffman is probably one of the most exciting writers we have available. Like Rob Shearman, he takes what are relatively unique characters and places them within an extra-ordinary situation, and makes us care for them as they illuminate our own failings. The problem is that I can't imagine a conventional director tackling the material. So it's a good job that Michel Gondry was available. Together with photographer Ellen Kuras (of Personal Velocity) many fantastic images are created - from the bed on the beach to the bookshop in which all the paperbacks suddenly reverse themselves on the shelves, and sets disappearing along with the guys memory.

Its that ability to produce the credible within the incredible which has attracts such acting talent, and impressively makes them want to do such extraordinarily good work. This is the Jim Carrey film that its OK to like if you usually hate his stupid mugging face. Kate Winslet proves yet again that she's not all about corsets, producing a perfect extrapolation of the Holly Golightly-style fabulous person we all know (when are they going to pass a law which says that everyone should see every film she's in?) Tom Wilkinson and Kirsten Dunst are, well, Tom Wilkinson and Kirsten Dunst, it's interesting to see what Elijah Wood has been doing during The Rings and David Cross continues to be 'that guy'. Not a poor performance amongst them.

The problem is that despite all that its not a film for everyone. If you're looking for some something linear yet enjoyable you might not have the best time. But if Fight Club crossed with Vanilla Sky with a dash of Waking Life sounds like a good thing to you, you're going to love it.

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I can't stand Jim Carrey...

trotsuk from LONDON , 20/12/2004

...except in this film. I think this is because he plays a fairly timid guy and he actually has to act rather than pull annoying faces the whole time. To tell you anything about this film would spoil it. A joy from start to finish, beautiful shot, extremely inventive special effects, great acting, and a top Kauffman script that is as good as Being JM. Can't wait to see what he writes next...

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Does it have to be this complicated?

Crritic! from Glastonbury , 02/04/2006

Well, here's a film that's in love with itself. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet both play a blinder but the whole thing is so utterly clever in that over-edited way - when you work the concept for so long you lose sight of what it'll mean to the viewer. I was past the halfway point when I finally got it and still some of the scenes lost me. Fortunately I'm not alone; this dvd has an interview with the director and Jim Carrey in which Carrey says that during the filming both he and Kate Winslet occasionally had to ask to be reminded what the scenes were about - and they'd learned the script. Ah well ..

Still, there's nothing wrong with films that give us food for thought, and I did find that I mused for a nanosecond the following morning on how precious memories are, but the most lasting impression I have is of the bizarre structure itself - which isn't a bad thing, I suppose, if you're Bertolt Brecht. Personally I love a narrative structure that's been turned on its head (Pulp Fiction) but only when there's more substance than this film has and a bit less show. Still, 9 out of 10 for effort and at least it was different and unusual with two great central performances. If you liked Being John Malkovich (I loathed it) then maybe you'll like this film too. It's got more warmth than BJM had and even though it's a tad pretentious it's great to see that mainstream film makers are challenging us once again.

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Brilliant!

Chameleon79 from Surrey , 02/10/2005

Just a fantastic film! A real surprise that such a complicated plot should suddenly fall into place. Great performances by Winslet and Carrey, both playing away from type and with great success. A definite new favourite!

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