There *is* a method to Kaufman's madness

Rating: 10/10 (29 May 2004)

(spoiler alert)
I'll keep this review short and sweet. I enjoyed this movie very much. ESOTSM is a poignant, bittersweet exposition on everyone's innate longing for love. I highly recommend it for those looking for a thoughtful, well crafted movie that will also make you feel good.
The most common complaints of ESOTSM are the disjointed plot and surreal, impressionistic cinematography. Far from being detrimental, these aspects are key devices used to convey the chaotic nature of the human mind. Since a large majority of the film is spent inside Jim Carey's mind, it makes sense that many of these scenes don't make sense.
In fact, the actual order of events is not that hard to grasp. The movie starts on Valentines day, and then flashes back to a few days prior. When inside Carey's mind, the memories generally proceed in reverse chronological order (starting with their break up and ending with their first meeting), interspersed with scenes of the Lacuna technicians. The ending then picks up where the beginning left off.
Of course I didn't give go into any detail because that would spoil the fun. But don't get discouraged if you don't get the film the first time - I liked ESOTSM so much I watched it again immediately after the first viewing, to fully appreciate all the subtle nuances. It doesn't have to all make sense right away - great art is like that sometimes.