Will Forever Change The Way You View Cinema (And Jim Carrey)

Rating: 10/10 (11 March 2017)

For many years, I have been a fan of Jim Carrey's wacky brand of comedy. I consider "Dumb and Dumber" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" to be the funniest movies of all-time, and can watch them over and over without fail. However, I had always been skeptical about his ability to pull off a really dramatic role. Sure, he was decent in "The Majestic" and "The Truman Show", but in my mind he would always be typecast as that goofy guy with the impossibly stretchy face and crazy voice accents. That all changed after viewing "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".
Though trying to give a brief plot description of this film is like trying to determine what "Alice in Wonderland" was really all about, the basic premise centers on the two characters of Joel (Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet). When their once-loving relationship begins to fail miserably, both opt to partake in a new scientific procedure in which all memories of that person are erased from your brain. Clementine completes the operation with no difficult, but Joel has a much harder time letting go, and his journey through his own mind (as he re-lives his relationship with Clem) comprises much of the film.
To me, one of the greatest compliments you can give a film (ala Back To The Future) is to not quite know what genre to place it in. Walk into your local video store (or peruse any online source) and you could find this movie in "Comedy" (for Carrey's name and subtle touches), "Romance" (for the lead relationship), "Drama" (for the aching love story), or even "Action" (for the incredible visual sequences that director Michel Gondry composes). The only two films I can remember watching that took my breath any at the end are "Vanilla Sky" and "The Sixth Sense", and this one tops those by a considerable margin.
The acting is also fantastic. Remarkably, Carrey makes a strong case that this may be the best role he's ever played (comedy included), while Winslet is every bit his equal in terms of character depth. I could have started the movie right back at the beginning after finishing it and still enjoyed their performances (as well as excellent auxiliary cast that shines in their respective roles).
Thus, though I wasn't expecting all that much when pressing the "Play" button on this one, it instantly jumped into the top ten films I have ever laid eyes on. PLEASE go out and find this movie somewhere if you consider yourself a movie fan whatsoever. It will absolutely astound you.