Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

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Directed by
Michel Gondry

Written by
Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet

Cast
Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Gerry Robert Byrne, Elijah Wood, Thomas Jay Ryan [more]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Reviews

"Sunshine" (like all of Kaufman's films) poses a lot of questions about the meaning of life and the role of fate. (It also evokes the devastating tragedy of Alzheimer's disease.) But, at its heart, it is an amazing love story, not because its participants are all that extraordinary, but because it has the courage to show the affairs of the heart, warts and all, in all their fragile glory and mundane banality. [read review]  -- (L.A. Daily News) ESOTSM is a film whose full potential is never realized. While it offers a unique storyline, it never expands beyond the initial idea and plods along with camera tricks and a few plot twists that are interesting enough at first, but, in the end, aren't enough to make ESOTSM anything worth remembering. [read review] C --Ginger Vaughn (MovieJustice) "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a cynical romantic comedy -- or romantic cynical comedy, perhaps -- about love, loss, destiny and the relationship thing, but don't yawn. This is a bright and heady adventure through the convolutions of memory, and ideal springtime fare. [read review]  --Anita Katz (San Francisco Examiner) Michel Gondry's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which is about the erasure of painful memories, is so full of original ideas, imagination, invention, fantasy and emotional truths it will wash your blues away. It also contains the best performance of Jim Carrey's career. [read review]  --Jack Mathews (New York Daily News) There is so much that is both right and touching about "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," including Carrey's most naturalistic performance ever and the earned sentimentality of Kaufman's view of relationships, that a sympathetic viewer can be forgiven the fanciful desire to follow a viewing of this film with a brief visit to Dr. Mierzwiak's memory erasure facility. [read review]  --Ray Greene (Boxoffice Magazine) Neither wholly cynical nor wholly romantic, Kaufman's story is a balance of smarts and sentiment. It's the most fully realized working out of his two favorite obsessions: the subjective nature of experience and the psychological mysteries of pair bonding. Like the lovers in "Human Nature," "Sunshine's" Joel and Clementine are guided by their synapses and hormones, but it is the willfully amnesiac heart, which forgives what it can't forget, that sets the true course of love. [read review] --Michael O'Sullivan (Washington Post) This is unlike any other film I have seen. And, although I value originality in motion pictures, the primary reason I'm recommending Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with so much enthusiasm is because it's a great romance. It's willingness to flout conventions and eschew formulas is just one of many things to celebrate about this charmingly eccentric movie. [read review]  -- (ReelViews) Mr. Carrey finally understands that he needn't cut a character off from pleasure, and so his Joel Barish is serious rather than anestheticized. But this angular and intelligent romantic comedy isn't entirely consistent. Even as you laugh, it's a movie you admire more than love. [read review]  --ELVIS MITCHELL (The New York Times) Quite frankly, this picture is an instant classic and will go down as one of the best if not the best movie Jim Carrey ever did. It's not an easy movie to review without giving away important plot points and reveals because the film really is a Chinese puzzle box, but as you're watching it and you think you know how it's going to end, know that the filmmakers are a bit smarter than that and, yes, there are still a bunch of secrets and tricks up their sleeves. [read review] 9/10 -- (CHUD.com) The film is not for everyone, it doesn't follow a straight line, it gets a little pretentious and arty-farty at times, and definitely gears into the realm of the esoteric rather than the tangible, but I like stuff like that sometimes and if you too are looking for something a whole lot different than 50 FIRST DATES as a romantic movie date alternative, you're likely to appreciate this movie as well. [read review] 7/10 -- (JoBlo.com) Damn you Charlie Kaufmann, you made me fall back in love with Nicholas Cage and now I have a crush on Jim Carrey. And I have a crush on this movie. It’s not true love, it’s not deep enough, but I’ll love it for a while and remember it fondly. [read review] --Amy Lawrence (FilmJerk.com) If Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindis boundlessly original and fascinating, a film not quite like any other ever made, it nonetheless has trouble reaching the lofty heights of either Being John Malkovich or Adaptation. [read review]  --Dustin Putman (The Movie Insider) While brimming with character and warmth, Gondry directly contradicts those feelings constantly throughout the film, creating a fairly empty visual exercise as the end result. A true missed opportunity. [read review] B- --Brian Orndorf (FilmJerk.com) Vibrant, warm and deliriously inventive, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is romantic comedy snogging science fiction in another genuine original from Adaptation. scribe Charlie Kaufman. [read review]  --Nev Pierce (BBC Films) OK, so it's hard to remember the exact title. Nevertheless, with its thoroughly original look at love, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (yes!), will leave an indelible impression. [read review]  --Kit Bowen (Hollywood.com) The movie is a radical example of Maze Cinema, that style in which the story coils back upon itself, redefining everything and then throwing it up in the air and redefining it again. [read review]  --ROGER EBERT (Chicago Sun-Times) Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a desperately moving ode to romance. Why do the filmmakers undercut its power with a bag of ironic tricks? [read review] -- (Salon) If you're a fan of Kaufman's previous work, all I can say is, buckle up for one hell of a ride that will leave you joyful, yet dizzy and in awe of Hollywood's god of originality. [read review]  --Brian Gallagher (MovieWeb) The highest compliment I can pay Sunshine is that it makes complete sense from start to finish – high praise indeed for an idea this convoluted. [read review]  --Sean O'Connell (FilmCritic.com) Brilliantly written, emotionally mature, moving film with terrific performances all round – this is easily one of the best films of the year. [read review]  --Matthew Turner (ViewLondon) Fascinating, perplexing, occasionally confusing, and often extremely funny. And ultimately, it’s also touching. [read review] 85/100 --Brian Webster (Apollo Guide) Charlie Kaufman crafts a romantic comedy in Jim Carrey’s head, but by the end we’re the ones in love. [read review]  --Derek May (MovieWeb) Just four words can sum up "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind": Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman. [read review] --Paul Clinton (CNN Showbiz) This is a very creative and clever film with some good performances and some terrific imagery. [read review] 8/10 --David Trier (Movie-Vault.com) A bold and venturesome trip down memory lane as only writer Charlie Kaufman could imagine it. [read review] --Kirk Honeycutt (Hollywod Reporter) This is one of those elusive movies that are utterly original, brilliant and complex. [read review]  --Kevin N. Laforest (Montreal Film Journal) An inventive headtrip cum melancholic romance which sticks in the mind. [read review] --Anton Bitel (Movie Gazette)

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