Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
October 28th, 2007
Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. And Frodo the hobbit. (Uh, Elijah Wood.) Also features Kirsten Dunst and Mark Ruffalo.
The title is from Alexander Pope, and it refers to a state of innocence: “How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot!” (Vestal virgins, remember them?) The premise is that you can have your mind wiped of memories of unfortunate love affairs, deceased dogs, etc., and then you won’t have to be sad or feel regret. The erasing is performed while you sleep, by a crew of geeky pot-smoking make-out artists who will steal your liquor and dance on your bed in their underwear. (Sometimes they will steal your underwear.)
It isn’t exactly a comedy, despite the presence of Jim Carrey, who plays a hapless Everyman who falls for the wrong/right girl, played by Winslet. Winslet’s character is charming and ditzy, with variously-coloured hair. The ex-lovers erase each other, but Carrey’s character changes his mind during the procedure, leading to a dizzying trip through time and memory, reality and illusion.
I think this is a great movie. It’s touching, bittersweet, and thought-provoking. It’s got everything. I’ve seen it three times and I liked it better each time. The first time it was hard to understand the plot, which is somewhat convoluted and not in order; but that’s the point. It’s about memory. It can’t be in order.
You should get it. You’ll like it. Watch it twice.
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