A Beginning That Never Seems To End Followed By An Ending That Never Seems To Begin

Rating: 1/10 (10 February 2008)

After almost 20 mind-numbingly incomprehensible minutes that seemed so much longer, it comes as a shock to realize that what one is suddenly seeing floating across the screen is (after 20 minutes, remember) the "opening" credits of the movie. This can mean only one thing - and it isn't good news: sweet Jesus, there's still an entire movie to come.
I confess that I'm not entirely enamoured of Jim Carrey. I've seen him as a weak part of a good movie (Bruce Almighty) and as the strong part of a weak movie (The Grinch Who Stole Christmas). Either way, he doesn't turn my crank. I don't think I'd ever watch a movie just because the star was Jim Carrey. To be honest, in "Eternal Sunshine ..." I'm not sure if he's strong or weak, but it really doesn't matter because the story is absurd, disjointed and not really all that interesting. It had potential. The whole "erasing negative memories" had a vaguely Orwellian tone to it that intrigued me (which is why I rented it) but in the end it failed badly. When I find myself hoping (even yearning) for a movie to come to an end, I know it's been a disaster.
The most intriguing thing about this movie is the following statement right off the DVD jacket it came in: ["Eternal Sunshine ... is] a memorable film that the Wall Street Journal calls 'a romantic comedy unlike any other." I can't argue with that - it is "memorable" (no matter how hard I'll try to, I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it) and it is "a romantic comedy unlike any other." Give thanks for small mercies - this truly is one of a kind, and, in truth, there must never be another like it. 1/10