The Perfect Movie

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2004)

Simply put, this is the perfect movie, and it is now my favourite of all time. There is no ands, ifs, or buts about it. This film is an absolute Masterpiece.
While the basic plot of the film involves memory erasure, the film is far more than that. The philosophical themes behind memory and consciousness are meticulously explored, and the film will leave you thinking hard about your own memories, and if you would go through the same procedure if put in Jim Carrey's Place.
Speaking of Carrey, he absolutely Shines here. He has come a long, long way since Ace Ventura and In Living Colour. Here, he gets to show his entire (wide) range of acting talents. From Fear, to Sadness, to even some of his patented slapstick, Carrey shows how great of an actor he really can be, and if he is denied yet again for an Oscar nomination, there is simply no justice in the world. The rest of the cast is no slouch either. Kate Winslet nearly steals the movie away from Carrey, which says a lot, considering his brilliant performance. Winslet should be up for a supporting Actress nod here. The rest of the cast performs admirably, from Mark Ruffalo's clumsy operator, Kirsten Dunst's stoner secretary, Tom Wilkenson's swarmy doctor, and last but not least, Elijah Wood's performance as another operator with a hidden agenda.
The good performances stem from great directing, and a sublime script. The Director manages to get very convincing performances and emotions from an admittedly bizarre and unlikely concept. Further credit to the director, is his very clever use of special effects in the scenes where Jim Carrey is losing his memories, they're subtle, and you may not even notice many of them, (keep your eyes peeled in the book store, as only the categories of books disappear at first!). Major Kudos go to the director.
As for the Script, all I have to say about that is that Charlie Kaufman is officially a certified Genius. I was always under the persuasion that he and his fictional alter-ego Donald were completely robbed of their Oscars for Adaptation (which, until I had seen this film, was my favourite movie), but this script blows even that masterpiece out of the water. Well developed Characters, fascinating concepts and situations, and finally, the most mind-blowing plot twist since Luke discovering who his father is.
There's something for everyone in this movie. There's something for the person looking for romance, Comedy, Drama, philosophy, or just a wonderful time at the movies. You will weep at the end of this movie, not because of the emotion passed on the screen (Although that's a probably too, even though the ending is left wide open), but because you will come to the realisation that your time with these wonderful characters has come to an end.
10 out of 10