A breath of fresh air!

Rating: 8/10 (24 December 2004)

They released this movie in this country a few months after its US release which meant that I had more than enough time to hear all the rave reviews and praises for this film by both film critics and ordinary moviegoers. So when the film finally made its debut locally I made it a point to see it right away.
First and foremost let's get to the screenplay of the film. The whole narrative of the movie was unique and refreshing. Even though initially the idea didn't really click with me, however over the course of the movie I began to love the unique nature of the story. I thought the basic flow of the movie can sometimes get confusing as you try to figure out which part comes first and what follows ala 21 Grams or Memento. Nonetheless it was effective in getting the story across to us the viewers.
Even though I was not that impressed with Jim Carrey's previous "dramatic" roles in the Truman Show and The Majestic, I thought this effort was good enough. Maybe even the best performance among the three. I thought he really did a good job in juggling emotions of love with bitterness and sorrow. Not really a performance that will net Carrey a small gold statue come March but nonetheless still a good job. If Carrey's performance was good, I thought Kate Winslett's performance was also. She was very effective as Clementine so much that you can really feel some of the emotions that Joel Barrish might have felt. This was supported by great performances by the supporting cast most notably by Tom Wilkinson who was more than what meets the eye.
I feel this film could get a lot of accolades when the awards season starts up next year. How many awards it will take home will be determined once the other contenders come out. This will definitely compete strongly in screenplay and some acting honors.