Interesting, but doesn't live up to the hype

Rating: 6/10 (6 May 2004)

****spoilers ahead*****
Eternal Sunshine is an interesting concept, and it's by no means a bad film. It's entertaining and, I admit it, a break from the average rom-com (a genre I usually avoid at all costs). It's enjoyable, with reasonably strong acting and some originality. But Eternal Sunshine just isn't as amazing as the buzz suggests, and certainly doesn't deserve to be in the imdb top 50. There are many many movies better than this one.
Before fans leap on me, it's not that I haven't understood the plot, or that I don't like complicated movies. (for a start, Mulholland Drive is one of my favourites, and if that's not confusing, I don't know what is). It's just that this particular film is more complicated than it needs to be, and what is a fresh and interesting starting point gets lost in the midst of everything else. And I lay the blame firmly at the feet of Charlie Kaufman.
Being John Malkovich was a masterpiece, but since then, I think the praise has gone to Kaufman's head. He's setting out with each script to produce some quirky film that will get him the pat on the head he got from BJM. With this, as with Adaptation, he detracts from the core of the plot (which is often brilliant) by trying to just be too clever. He does weird stuff for weirdness sake. For instance, the blurred out faces in some scenes. It's shown in the film that when people are erased, they just vanish. So why the no-face people? It's like he thought, hey, wouldn't it be freaky if we did that?
This isn't like Memento, it's more like the bit when John Malkovich goes into his own head. The friend I went with said she didn't find it romantic, 'just a bit creepy', and that she didn't like either Joel or Clem. I admit I found Clem in particular very annoying at times with her 'kooky' ways. On the other hand, another friend loved it and declared she was going to dye her hair red because it looked cool on Clem, so maybe it's each to their own.
The acting is reasonably good, but then we know Carrey and Winslet are good. They've done it before. That's no surprise, and they are capable of better performances than they give in this film. Kate Winslet does not deserve an Oscar, and neither does Carrey.
The mixed up scenes are a nice touch, with the bed in the snow or the rain in the living room, and so is the idea of bringing Clem into other memories. But the idea that the couple need to be more intimate with one another emotionally is a bit cliched for what this film is trying to do. It's a cop out.
By all means, go and watch this film if you have some free time. It's enjoyable. But it's not one to drop everything and run to the cinema for.

And as for it being a masterpiece? Well, it's not that hard to write something weird if that's what you set out to do.
6/10