sooo worth watching..

Rating: Null/10 (13 May 2004)

The movies that I've found to be brilliant are the ones that cannot be stereotyped easily into the neat little boxes marked 'romantic comedy' or 'murder mystery' or 'action'. Several timeless movies cannot be categorized in this way and yet are able to blow the viewer away with the subtle intelligence, originality and masterful storyline. Focus Features presents a movie directed by Michel Gondry: 'Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind', which is one such movie.
Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) meets the zany, impetuous, blue haired Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) and they form an instant connection. Sparks fly, and thus begins a beautiful relationship. But months later, their relationship begins to crumble and although desperately in love, they realize its not going to work and they part ways. Always impulsive, Clementine checks herself into a medical clinic by the name 'Lacuna Inc.' run by Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson). This clinic runs on new found technology which allows a person to erase out a person or relationship from their life completely, so that the next morning they awake, fresh and reborn. A few days later Joel decides that perhaps they should give their relationship another chance, and he shows up at her workplace, finding she has absolutely no idea who he is. After finding out about her treatment, in complete frustration and despair, he checks himself in for the same procedure. With stories running parallel to this, one focusing on the dynamics between Stan (Mark Ruffalo), Mary (Kirsten Dunst) and Dr.Howard and another concerning Patrick (Elijah Wood) and Clementine: secrets are revealed which are oddly touching and the script is gripping right up to the very end.
Having never seen Jim Carrey play a serious role before other than in the several years old 'Truman Show' and the unsuccessful `The Majestic'; I was shocked at how precisely he portrayed the character of a passionate, brooding, mysterious and introverted man. He did an astounding job, erasing all memories of past movies such as 'Ace Ventura', 'The Mask' and 'Me, Myself and Irene' which had categorized him into the weirdly facially expressive, hysterically funny, comedic actor. Kate Winslet, as expected, did an exceptional job acting out the role of a free spirited, energetic young woman; which she'd captured audiences many times prior with roles such as in 'Holy Smoke', 'Iris' and of course 'Titanic. And then, of the supporting roles played by Tom Wilkinson, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst and Elijah Wood; it was Kirsten whose acting stood out the most, although everyone played their parts beautifully. Dunst played the part of an idealistic, though by the end a jaded young woman, similar to her role in 'Crazy Beautiful', which reinforced the ending and made it as memorable as it was.
The screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, known for "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation', as well as 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,' created a brilliant film. Parallel to the storyline for 'Being John Malkovich', it is an oddly touching love story, one with many surprises. Kaufman, in 'Adaptation' has written another script that defies convention, but this time it's in a way we can all easily relate to, and rarely alienates. But with `Adaptation,' Kaufman is growing as a screenwriter, and taking more chances. And similar to the recent 'Confessions', the plotline is transfixing and constantly evolving. Director Michel Gondry, whose first movie was 'Human Nature' was also written by Charlie Kauffman, did a phenomenal job. Gondry, previously a music video director, seems to be bringing the characters to life, and making the story so real, that it really seems that Kauffman and Gondry make a fantastic pair whilst working together.
If you liked 'Vanilla Sky' and you'd like to see a movie with intense, passionate characters; a very original script deviating from the norm of love stories; powerful acting with a brilliant cast, and a slight dark side; this is one movie you've got to see. Box office records show that the movie has made over 30 million dollars in the US so far, and is still in theatres. Being dubbed a critics favorite, it is a poignant story set in a clever plot amidst exceptional performances, which Margaret A. McGurk summed up beautifully as "...cinematic gold..." Rates: 5/5