A welcome antidote to the annual deluge of rubbish romantic comedies

Rating: 8/10 (6 May 2004)

Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star in this bizarre love story which is more or less told in reverse. Imagine a rather surreal love story version of Memento you'll get the idea. After Joel (Carrey) and Clementine (Winslet) have an unsuccessful romance, they decide to undergo a radical medical procedure to erase each other from their memories. However, as Joel has the process done, he finds he wants to keep some of his memories after all, and tries to hide them at deep subconscious levels.
For every person I've met who liked this film I met someone who hated it. I belong in the former category. Charlie Kaufman's screenplay is amusing, melancholic and clever. Michel Gondry directs with flair, and Carrey is as good here as he was in The Truman Show, playing against type. There is also fine support from Winslet, Kirstin Dunst and Tom Wilkinson who is at the centre of an unexpected and interesting subplot I won't spoil here.
The only thing I didn't like was the regulation f-ing and blinding which despite being realistic, somewhat soured it for me. That said, this is recommended for anyone on the lookout for something a little different, and a welcome antidote to the annual deluge of rubbish romantic comedies with neither romance nor comedy.