A Most Disappointing and Shallow Screenplay!

Rating: Null/10 (16 April 2005)

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is one of the more overrated films of the past year. At best, one may say that the concept and screenplay are "clever." But the idea of remapping memory and the unethical human erasers removing the painful experiences was a shallow one. It is unfortunate that two fine performances by Jim Carrey and Kate Wislet were wasted in this film. The best scene was their initial meeting where we actually saw a believable and interesting relationship unfold. In the combination of Winslet's quirky character and the mild-mannered Carrey, I was reminded of a much superior film and screenplay in "The Sterile Cuckoo." With the outstanding dialogue and unforgettable performance of Liza Minnelli, the film actually shed light on human relationships and the emotional pain of breakups. By contrast, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was no more than a glorified gimmick. The film's title comes from the English poet Alexander Pope. But a better tagline for this film would be Shakespeare's image of "weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable."