An excellent example of the application of art to story telling and cinematography

Rating: Null/10 (11 October 2004)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Joel Barish goes to meet his girlfriend Clementine one day only to find that she does not know him and finds out later that she had her memory of their relationship erased, no explanation given and none to be found. Joel in his misery decides to do the same so he can overcome his grief.
This artsy movie plays with the time line and if you don't understand the story going in you could get either lost or frustrated. It was also unusual in that the beginning credits show up about 20 minutes into the story. The movie begins in the present and then switches to the past where we find Joel in his grief as the beginning credits start. We are then taken through the process of Joel having his memories of Clementine erased. During this sequence Lacuna Inc., the provider, presents us with a most severe case of doctor/patient confidentiality breach and irresponsibility that may have you thinking twice about trusting anyone again. While unrealistic in scope these scenes generated some expletives from me during the movie. The procedure on Joel is completed returning us to the present and we now have a much better grip on how this movie began and finally discover why Clementine and Joel chose the procedure. That crucial bit of information brings the art of this film full circle for a final mind bending and thought provoking view on intimate relationships that had me fast rewinding the complete movie in my mind for a final wow!
The IMDb seems hard pressed to find a genre that this movie fits stating, drama, romance, sci-fi and comedy for this listing. The DVD cover promotes it as a comedy. All apply except comedy unless you find people being cruel to each other, incompetence or utter stupidity funny, i.e. Lacuna Inc. This is a new trend for Hollywood as of late which they call comedy and I seem to be unable to find any humor in. I would definitely label this as a drama with award winning potential in many categories. It certainly has it's humor but only as a natural progression of the tale that is being told.
Is it the name Jim Carry that forces Hollywood to market his movies as comedy? For me Jim has had a riddled past of great and mediocre films. Ace Ventura and The Mask presented us with the smart comedy side of Jim. Liar Liar is the ultimate classic that derives all of it's humor from the pressing seriousness of the situation playing into Jim's shtick beautifully. The Truman Show was his first real attempt at drama which would have played far better if they would not have promoted the typical Jim Carry comedic delivery through out which was simply at odds with the context of the story. I really liked that movie and the message it provided but alas Hollywood and it's marketing foibles is what prevents it from being a classic. This new movie presents us with the full dramatic potential of Jim Carry while leaving his typical shtick behind proving finally that this man should be considered a serious dramatic actor capable of various parts. The rocky life story of Jerry Lewis cries out for the actor Jim Carry! Maybe this movie brings Jim to a point where he could provide that potential Oscar winning performance as that story will require him to make us laugh and cry with tears in our eyes in both cases.
A lengthy review means mis-perception could spoil the film, I lack confidence in my recommendation or the presentation does not follow our normal expectations and in this case it seems to be all of the above. For the life of me I cannot figure out why my wife did not like it. Was it the artsy presentation? She did mention her frustration a few times during the movie. Was it the gut reeling conclusion that ultimately was too realistic causing self reflection? Was it the despicable behavior of Lacuna Inc.? She waffled as I tried to figure out what her take was which left me with only one question to ask her, 'Would you recommend the movie to a friend'? No was the final response.
This movie will not leave you with romantic fuzzy feelings and is not your typical chick flick romantic genre. I would suggest the reason this movie failed in the market is because it was too realistic in driving home it's point about long term intimate relationships and true love causing too much inner reflection for the viewer, especially women. One could say this is a guys version of a chick flick that guys would appreciate. This is not simple entertainment for an evening of smiles and gushy romance only.
For me this was an excellent example of the application of art to story telling and cinematography promoting thought for this viewer at every turn rather than just mere 'boy meets girl' romantic entertainment.
Highly recommended!