A movie so lopsided, twisted, off kilt in its romanticism, it is original and genius (review contains spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (15 May 2004)

SPOILER ALERT!!
It begins with a madcap urge by Joel (Carrey) to ditch work and board a train to Montauk, Long Island. He meets Clementine (Winslet) on the train....she's as crazy it would seem, yet they connect in a way as if they are long lost friends, notwithstanding they seem like total opposites. Their relationship doesn't force their chemistry down our throats......they are so imperfect, you see bits of yourself. The end result is that you are left rooting for the characters to find a way out of their eventual predicament.
The affair ends badly and Clementine decides to have her memories of Joel erased. Upon finding out, he opts to investigate and also have it done. The writing is crisp, winning, funny and poignant with Carrey asking Wilkinson (Doctor Howard - I cannot begin to spell or pronounce his surname), if the procedure causes brain damage, he responds in turn, "Well technically, it is brain damage."
What happens is a virtual topsy turvy approach to story telling, which involves freely fast forwarding, rewinding, pausing etc to give the audience snippets of the good and bad times of their relationship. It is a deep, resonating treatise on how valuable memories are to us all.
Joel in the middle of the procedure decides he doesn't want to go through with it. He desperately tries to hold onto some memories with Clementine, but they are consistently wiped out by associates of Dr. Howard, played by Ruffalo, Wood and Dunst. The sub plot involving these four characters is involving, and equally engaging. However, it is difficult to explain and too revealing even if I try. It's a great testimony in keeping with a certain bank's identity theft ads though....that's the most I can say and adds to the central theme of the movie. It even tosses in the ethical dilemma of the procedure for good measure.
There are times when you can't help think, this movie is going to head off track and /or burst at the seams, but surprisingly it never does, thanks largely to stellar directing, and never before seen performances by both Carrey and Winslet and the supporting cast. I've got to admit, after "The Truman Show" Carrey demonstrated that he was versatile and earned some respect from me. The fact that he burrows into this character, is just mesmerizing. Winslet's matching performance varies from need, craziness, longing........just as her hair color does in the movie. Then there are some other "incidental" factors: the brilliant script, cinematography and set design, which ably propels the story.

How do you define love? Does it involve making the same mistakes over again? How important is your past in really defining your future? If you're trying to answer these, check this movie out.