Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

By Mal -

7 out of 10 (revised)

One word to sum this up: bittersweet. Not just in the story being told, but also in how it fared against my expectations. Being a joint effort between Michel Gondry (music video legend) and Charlie Kaufman (screenwriting legend), I really wanted this to be outstanding. To find that it was merely very good almost feels like a let-down. It seems the curse of having read glowing reviews strikes again. :-/

Eternal Sunshine tells the story of Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet), a couple who’ve fallen out and end up seeking help to erase each other from their respective memories. Naturally, this fantasy aspect requires some suspension of disbelief, but beyond that, it’s a regular tale of an irregular relationship gone sour and the struggle to make sense of it all. Both Carrey and Winslet play their roles really well and are well supported by a strong cast. The writing, too, is equally strong and the film’s subplots support the main story nicely without ever feeling intrusive or contrived.

Overall, it’s a pretty good film. Just don’t expect something revolutionary or you may be disappointed.

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