Movie review: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Her relationship with Joel failing, Clementine undergoes a procedure to have him erased from her memory. When he finds out, Joel does the same to remove Clementine from his memory. But the impact of the loss prompts them both to rethink things and grasp at every shred of their relationship that remains.

Jim Carrey (Joel), Kate Winslet (Clementine), Elijah Wood (Patrick), Mark Ruffalo (Stan), Kirsten Dunst (Mary), Tom Wilkinson (Dr. Mierzwiak), Jane Adams (Carrie), David Cross (Rob), Thomas Ryan (Frank).

Though not without some bland scenes, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an enjoyable mind-twist of a film that almost demands your attention if you want to understand what is happening. As Joel and Clem realize erasing their memories may have been a bad choice, they shift gears and begin to fight to retain every shred they can. This is where the film gets deliciously entertaining and at the same time mildly confusing with the help of a few twists and parallel plot lines.

Acting was very good with Carrey delivering solid emotion throughout. Winslet was also quite good with high energy and an apparent chemistry with Carrey. Wood was decent in his smaller role, while Ruffalo contributed well to the film. Dunst and Wilkinson did nicely, both in the main story and a parallel plot line. The rest of the cast was solid and enjoyable.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were slightly bland but fit the film perfectly and appeared nicely done. Action scenes, and what little CGI there is, are fitting and fairly well done. Dialogue had good depth, detail, and helped keep a confusing storyline entertaining. Sound and soundtrack were nice.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ends up being an enjoyable romantic sci-fi that blends elements nicely for a well rounded and enjoyable story that makes us question the use of logic in matters of the heart. Acting and direction are both good as is the emotional aspect of the story.

With some sexuality and profanity, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2004
Reviewed: 5.24.16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Sci-Fi Romance, Sci-Fi Drama, Romantic Drama, Romantic Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel