An Unconventional Love Story

Rating: 10/10 (6 April 2006)

Joel Barish(Jim Carrey),depressed and forlorn over being pushed out of a relationship with his flaky but irresistible girlfriend Clementine(Kate Winslet),decides he'll also go to get his memory erased at an experimental procedure,headed by a kindly doctor(Tom Wilkinson). During the process,Joel makes the realization that he,in fact,despite the pains that Clementine put him through,doesn't really want to lose those memories of her,and proceeds to fight the process as it is happening to him.
Director Michel Gondry co-wrote this story with none other than existential re-arranger non-pareil Charlie Kaufmann,and the end product is no less stunning or thought-provoking. Basically,this film is a love story minus the rapturous wonder of BEING in love. It's a realization of appreciating a relationship and what one gets from it,through the good AND bad. This is a concept that's probably been danced around before,but I have to believe it's never quite been examined THIS way before.
Jim Carrey and KAte Winslet are in rare form here,Carrey in particular. Eschewing his usual,rubber-faced absurdity in favor of a straight caricature,while it's not a complete departure for him(some examples: MAn on the Moon,The Truman Show),it is somewhat out of form for the one-time stand-up,and he is excellent here. Winslet gets a chance to A)not be English and B)be a character that is probably somewhat difficult to be lifted from the pages it's been written on. Wilkinson's role as a doctor who may be more scrupulously at question here doesn't APPEAR to be different than usual(try In the Bedroom),but he still mines this one for effectiveness. The supporting turns by Mark Ruffalo,Elijah Wood,Kirsten Dunst,Jane Adams and David Cros are considerably less defined but(particularly in Dunst's case)nicely workable into the fabric of this story.
Difficult movie material to relate to any average audience to be sure,but as another comment person put it,if you "get it" with this film,this will be quite the positive movie experience.