Review of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) by Victor T — 11 Aug 2015

In the very beginning of the new millennium, Charlie Kaufman became a respectable screenwriter thanks to the highly imaginative, original and hilarious "Being John Malkovich", and the ambitious and cerebral "Adaptation". What could Kaufman bring to the predictable romance genre?

Joel Barish is a shy and reserved man who is struggling with his recent break with her former girlfriend Clementine Kruczynski. This felling quickly transforms into depression due to the fact Clementine took a surgery to remove all her memories about him.

To be honest, I have to admit that I avoid romantic films as they are repetitive and dumb, but I really loved Kaufman´s collaborations with Spike Jonze (the hilarious and unforgettable "Being John Malkovich", and the peculiar and ambitious "Adaptation") so I went looking for this film and it solidify my appreciation for Kaufman´s work. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a film that has extremely solid acting with the standout being the main couple (both Carrey and Winslet are out of their comfort zone and they deliver), Kaufman´s script is original, fun, touching and masterfully written; the storytelling is ambitious, the comedy is hilarious, Gondry works as an acceptable Jonze substitute, memorable visuals, a couple of well executed twists, a message that's touching and extremely peculiar, editing that feels improvised but is all highly selected, an insanely high entertainment value, the couple has believable chemistry, a good soundtrack, and the characters are tragic and relatable. My only issue with the film is its lack of a worthy finale. Sure, the idea on paper sounds good but it feels lackluster compared to the rest of the film.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a highly creative, masterfully written, well performed and touching romance. Up until 2012, this was the only romantic film I praised and genially love. If you like the genre or appreciate original and ambitious films, then this is a must see. Another success in Kaufman´s career.