Carrey and Winslet Make an Interesting, Enigmatic Duo

Rating: 8/10 (19 March 2004)

Charlie Kaufman co-wrote the screenplay for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" with director Michel Gondry. Probably Kaufman, continuing his recovery from the largely senseless "Adaptation," was the prime writer. So a series of sometimes faintly explicable or borderline incoherent scenes somewhat camouflages an occasionally fascinating tale. And that's what this film is.
Joel (Jim Carrey) is a writer-illustrator with an unbroken record of failed relationships. He's shy and lonely, open to falling in like if not in love with any attractive female who telegraphs an interest in him.
Calling in sick on Valentine's Day, he goes out to Montauk Point (the easternmost part of New York's Long Island, a playground for the rich) and runs into Clementine (Kate Winslet), a bubbling, blithe spirit, a young woman who works in a Barnes & Noble bookstore and frequently changes her hair color from one attention grabbing shade to another (her idea of a perfect color name is "Agent Orange").
A relationship starts and goes into high gear when, after almost a quarter of an hour, the opening credits roll. That's a hint that an unconventional unfolding of plot is in store.
Through scenes that too often confuse without enlightening, Clementine and Joel's relationship goes back and forth in time. Mostly back as it's revealed that each separately engaged the services of Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (a laid back role well-played by Tom Wilkinson) to have their memories of past relationships erased through what must be a proprietary and non-insurance covered process. Doc Howard's sci-fi practice enjoys the eager beaver services of receptionist Mary (Kirsten Dunst).
What follows is contemplation of the role of memory and the opportunity for regeneration of relationships against psychical resistance (to say nothing of overcoming the effects of Mierzwiak's non-FDA approved therapy. "Lacuna" is the name of his enterprise. Erasure leads to a missing part-but without any awareness of what has been deleted by computer machinations of a mapped brain there can be no sense of incompleteness. There's a message here. Perhaps others can find and detail it.
What fails is the too cute, confusing and slapdash alternation of time and place. What succeeds is a surprisingly deep and laid back performance by Carrey, his second film in which his character's memory loss is central to the story. Winslet, wacko hair colors and all, is engaging and warm, a woman who really wants the security and permanency of a close relationship but who has been hurt too often.
Dunst displays a broad range of emotions from the freely and stoned sensual to the pained introspective. A nice supporting role for this very talented actress. Elijah Wood as Patrick, one of the doctor's nocturnal memory erasers, is flat-perhaps he hadn't decompressed sufficiently from his long foray into the wilds of New Zealand.
The beach scenes at Montauk are nicely shot-the rolling Atlantic waves in the dead of winter are beautiful. But there's a choppy quality to much of the cinematography that adds to the film's already scrambled elements.

It's a mixed bag.
8/10