Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Michel Gondry

Writers (WGA):

Charlie Kaufman (story) &
Michel Gondry (story) ...

Release Date:

19 March 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

I already forget how I used to feel about you.

Plot:

A couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.

Plot Keywords:

Memory | Train | Crush | Beach | Elephant

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 36 wins & 50 nominations

Cast

Jim Carrey	...	Joel Barish
Kate Winslet	...	Clementine Kruczynski
Gerry Robert Byrne	...	Train Conductor
Elijah Wood	...	Patrick
Thomas Jay Ryan	...	Frank
Mark Ruffalo	...	Stan
Jane Adams	...	Carrie
David Cross	...	Rob
Kirsten Dunst	...	Mary
Tom Wilkinson	...	Dr. Howard Mierzwiak
Ryan Whitney	...	Young Joel
Debbon Ayer	...	Joel's Mother
Amir Ali Said	...	Young Bully
Brian Price	...	Young Bully
Paulie Litt	...	Young Bully

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some drug and sexual content.

Runtime:

108 min | Turkey:95 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #40598) | Iceland:L | India:A | Chile:Y7 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:G (Québec) | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

123 Valentine Lane, Yonkers, New York, USA

Company:

Anonymous Content

Trivia:

Reporters tried to interview Jim Carrey as the unplanned scene with Joel and Clementine at the street parade was being filmed. If you listen closely, you can hear somebody shout "Speak to me!" at Jim Carrey.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the "operation", Mary passes a joint to Stan. In the next shot, Mary has the joint again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Joel: [voice over] random thoughts for Valentine's day, 2004. Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Une américaine à Paris (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Nola's Bounce

Great, if you can relate...

If you can relate to the underlying theme of love longed for, love given and received, and love lost, this is a great film. If you have come to understand that acceptance can -sometimes- be a great thing and not a compromise or a 'settle for' - this is a moving film.

As crazy and almost surreal as elements of this film are, it somehow remains honest and real. That seems like a contradiction... life is contradictory, isn't it?

Carrey and Winslet both turn in superb performances, as do the supporting cast. An incredible film that most of the people who 'get it' will love - but I suspect there will be more than a small percentage who won't understand it or can't relate to it and they will (understandably) dislike it.