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ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND Send This Review to a Friend
If you thought Charlie Kaufman's screenplay for "Adaptation" was unusual, you may find it was simple-minded measured against for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which plays backwards under Michael Gondry's direction attuned to Kaufman's mind-set. The sci-fi conceit here is that it is possible for an entrepreneurial brain-washer to erase memories from clients, thereby eradicating recollections, say, of an unhappy love affair. The problem here is that the lovers in the story are such pains in the you-know-where that one might prefer to erase them and maybe the film as well. The chief asset is the concept of indicating, and perhaps warning, where new techniques can lead, but the playing out of Kaufman's brainchild is disappointing, apart from clever moments here and there.
Jim Carrey is trying to stretch his usually comic range to that of a troubled romantic lead as Joel, a frustrated and depressed man in need of a soul mate. But he's dull, dull, dull in the part. The woman of the twosome, Clementine, is played by Kate Winslet, but the character is so ditsy and neurotic, that all of Winslet's charm can't compensate for having to spend time with a woman from whom any man with sense would run. The brainwashing concept doesn't compensate for the banality of the couple.
The brain manipulator, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak, is played by Tom Wilkinson and his assistants in his seedy little operation are performed by Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood. We are privy to watching the method, involving the use of computers and tapes, erasing and flipping backward and forward, all flashily illustrated. The gimmick is that Joel and Clementine don't know what's going on as their lives are played out. There's a side story involving a past love affair between the married doc and his assistant Mary (Dunst), who has also been subjected to the brain tinkering. Thanks largely to Dunst, at least this plot ripple carries some humanity.
It may well be that you will be among those charmed and impressed by the film, and you are most welcome to judge for yourself. I can only say that I found it more pretentious than involving and couldn't wait for it to end. "Adaptation" had characters fascinating to spend time with, and therefore the script and filmmaking cleverness had an impressive human basis. In this case the effect is the opposite. Whether love conquers for Joel and Clementine hardly matters, at least not to me. A Focus Features release.
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