Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

An incredible sci-fi romance distinguished by excellent performances, but above all by a brilliant screenplay written by Charlie Kaufman. Michel Gondry was also involved, after all. Something unique was created that will either charm you or leave you viewing it as odd, especially if you struggle to understand the film. It's not easy, but give it a try and watch it. You won't experience something like this easily again. (12/12/2013)

To be honest, I only heard about this Jim Carrey film a few years ago; it had somehow been off my radar all these years. It is definitely an unconventional viewing experience in every sense. I liked how they grafted sci-fi onto the romantic genre; you don't see that every day. The central idea of a letter containing information that someone has just erased you from their memory is initially quite crazy, but as time goes on, I started to enjoy the whole concept more and more. Of course, the cast contributes to this, with Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet... could the creators wish for anyone better for the lead roles? I also appreciated the various little details (like Clementine's hair color changing according to her mood). I don't feel ready to give it a higher rating yet, but I wouldn't rule out leaning towards that after a second viewing in the future (a lot of people had that experience). For me, it's 8/10. (09/07/2021)

In a word, a smart film, bolstered by a script from arguably the best and most creative contemporary Hollywood screenwriter, Andy Kaufman, and featuring clever, imaginative direction and an excellent cast. This film is reminiscent of the best Czechoslovak parodies and fantastic films of the 1970s. Playful, intelligent filmmaking. Overall impression: 85%. (06/18/2006)

Whether I want to or not, I need to nag and criticize. The aspects of the film overshadow a certain banality and imperfection of the content... Beneath the shell of perfect visuals (the edit and camera are excellent!) and narrative magic, there is love story that is only briefly sketched psychologically and is not exceptional in any way, and it lacks depth and the hard-to-name magic that "made" Coppola's gem Lost in Translation. Carrey excels and with absolute sovereignty connects the civilian inner and exhibitionist mannerisms of his acting, and Winslet is also deeply immersed in the eccentric Clementine, but they are unable to hide the flatness of the characters and their considerable proclamation and two-dimensionality. The exclusivity of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is aided by the superficial memory-erasing plot that allowed Gondry to play out the audio-visual drama of an escape from the inevitable oblivion that takes place almost entirely in the main character's head. The drama of the end of a relationship between two people, painful disillusionment and an irreversible return to the beginning, which overshadows all the evil that happened after it. It's not boring at all and it warms my soul, but after the film ended I had nothing left but a handful of positive impressions and a very overdone, mundane love story in an exclusive package. Nevertheless, I can only praise the ease with which Gondry et al. work with emotional shades... But I was still expecting more. (08/20/2004)

Originally, I wanted to write a longwinded analysis of my love for this playful jewel of a movie. But after watching it a few times over, I said to myself “to the hell with it". So, in brief: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind simply IS the best movie to be made (not only) over the past years. Want to know why? If that’s the case, you’ll have to watch the fatal relationship of Joel and Clementine (...no jokes about her name!) for yourselves. It’s an experience that’s just indescribable in words. (08/12/2004)