Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I can’t stand it. I can’t stand waiting for this one. I saw a giant banner for this up at the Arclight when I was there earlier tonight. I want to see this thing yesterday, and then I want my memory erased so I can have the thrill of seeing it for the first time. Again.
I attended a test screening of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on January 22 in Ontario, California. Having already seen the trailer, I was eager to see the whole film. Eternal Sunshine was written by Charlie Kaufman, whose twisted mind created Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. If you*ve seen either of those films, you know you*re in for a wild ride.
Jim Carrey plays Joel, a disheveled man who meets Clementine (Kate Winslet), a bizarre woman who sports a variety of hair colors (including blue!). They hit it off and have a good relationship for awhile, but Clementine eventually decides to undergo a process by which all memories of Joel are permanently removed from her mind. Of course, Joel is baffled when he sees Clementine and she has no idea who he is. Despite the supposed secrecy of the process, Joel finds out what she has done. When he decides to erase Clementine from his mind, things really get wacky.
Keep in mind that any story involving memory removal is inherently odd. Add Charlie Kaufman to the mix and you get a movie that keeps you on your toes from start to finish, especially when the story is told in a somewhat non-chronological fashion. I*m a big fan of Being John Malkovich, I like Jim Carrey, and I loooove Kate Winslet, so this movie was right up my alley. Kaufman*s Sunshine screenplay is just as deliriously whacked out as Malkovich. Carrey is playing it straight here * no Me, Myself, and Irene antics. He does a great job of being frequently baffled. While Winslet doesn*t always choose the best films (Life of David Gale, anyone?), she picked the right project here and she nails it. As her character says at one point, "I*m just a fucked up girl trying to find myself." Let*s not forget the excellent supporting cast, either. Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, and Tom Wilkinson all do great work here.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is certainly not for everyone. It*s not at all a mainstream film, which explains a March release for a Jim Carrey project. But if you*re a fan of Kaufman, Carrey, or Winslet (or, like me, all of the above), you*ll love it.
Bring it on.
"Moriarty" out.
