Review Rewind: 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'

Photo via schmoesknow.com

We've all spent one night (or a thousand) browsing Netflix, hoping that a certain TV show to binge watch will catch your eye, or a movie with a good rating, great cast and that people have been hounding you to watch is now available to stream. After spending close to an hour, having forgotten how to blink for about half of that time, the latter finally happened. I was finally going to watch a film that I've always heard great things about. It was finally time to watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Released in 2004, this film stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as a former couple who try to erase the memories they have of each other through a medical service. The supporting cast, involved in the clinic that specializes in this procedure included Kirstin Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Wilkinson, as well as Elijah Wood. From the start of the film, you really don't know what to expect as far as the tone of the film. But, what is conveyed very well are the personalities, specifically, of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet's characters. Joel (Jim Carrey) is a quiet and sort of timid individual, while Clementine (Kate Winslet) is eccentric, witty and very impulsive. Impulse is what causes the conflict in this film. After they're breakup, Clementine decides to undergo this procedure in order to forget Joel completely and live her life free of him. Then, when Joel discovers that she is going to such extreme lengths to forget about their relationship, he decides to do the same.

The procedure is done while the subject is sleeping, carefully mapping their memories of said person and erasing them altogether. However, while Joel is under, he realizes that he doesn't want to forget Clementine at all. He tries to wake himself up and even pleads to the doctor (Tom Wilkinson) in his dream state to stop the procedure, but nothing works. So, what ensues is this Inception-like thrill sequence through his memories. In his dream state, Joel finds Clementine and they try to escape to memories that he's had that have nothing to do with their relationship, making the procedure ineffective, and hoping that some piece of her will remain in his mind. This can get a bit confusing, but I guarantee the resolution will have everything falling perfectly into place.

One thing I cannot stress enough were the fantastic performances of the entire cast. When one thinks of Jim Carrey, you immediately think of a gifted comedic actor. Yet, his portrayal of Joel in this "rodramedy" (yes, I made that word up) is probably one of his best performances to date. Kate Winslet, on the other hand, has not played a character quite like Clementine. She really does become this character with this colorful, impulsive and loud personality. You will see no shades of Rose in this performance. Also, the script written by Charlie Kaufman and the direction from Michel Gondry propels this film from "good" to "great." It's a smart film, but one that even the most casual fan can find meaning in and enjoy.

The next time you're contemplating life on a Friday night while skipping every TV show or movie that Netflix recommends, and eating Dorito crumbs off of your shirt, treat yourself to this film. I mean, you may hate it but its free. Also, you don't have to wear pants.