Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories.

Director:

Michel Gondry

Writers:

Charlie Kaufman (story), Michel Gondry (story)

Stars:

Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson

Top Rated Movies #98 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 72 wins & 111 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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. Mierzwiak
Ryan Whitney	...	Young Joel
Debbon Ayer	...	Joel's Mother
Amir Ali Said	...	Young Bully
Brian Price	...	Young Bully
Paulie Litt	...	Young Bully (as Paul Litowski)

Storyline

Much to his surprise, timid Joel Barish is shocked to discover that the love of his life, sparky Clementine, has had him erased from her memory. To pay her back in the same coin, poor Joel summons up the courage to undergo a painless but intricate medical procedure to do the same, utterly unaware that darkness is an essential part of the light. Now, as hurt and angry Joel's ugly recollections of Clementine gradually fade away, giving way to a soulless black void, suddenly, he begins having second thoughts, toying with the idea of stopping the irreversible process. In the end, is ignorance really bliss?

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Plot Keywords:

memory | loneliness | valentine's day | beach | flashback | 

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Taglines:

Our memories makes us who we are. You can't change the past.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some drug and sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cast includes one Oscar winner: Kate Winslet and two Oscar nominees: Mark Ruffalo and Tom Wilkinson.

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Goofs

In the scene where Mary first comes into Joel's apartment, Patrick and Stan had been drinking beer. At first, just before the door is opened, they are both Rolling Rock (green bottles). After she has entered, Stan's beer turns into a Labatt Blue (brown bottle).

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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.

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Crazy Credits

The text in the opening credits appears quickly and then slowly withers away, like a memory.

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Connections

References Showtime at the Apollo (1987)

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Soundtracks

Light And Day/Reach For The Sun
Written by Tim DeLaughter (as Timothy DeLaughter)
Performed by The Polyphonic Spree
Courtesy of Hollywood Records

User Reviews

That's not OVERRATED!

Before the i watched this movie, everyone said it's overrated, overrated, oooooooverrated. And after these returns i thought it's overrated. WHATEVER This movie has a good story and awesome acting performance. But, most important for me: AWESOME EDITING!!! Lovely soundtrack and cool side story into the bargain! ENJOY IT!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Universal

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Filming Locations:

123 Valentine Lane, Yonkers, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,175,198, 21 March 2004

Gross USA:

$34,400,301

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$74,036,715

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Anonymous Content, This Is That Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (as dts) Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1