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| 3/29/2004 |
| Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Malkovich, Malkovich! |
by Wes Bennett
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“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” the latest film written by gifted screenwriter Charles Kaufman, chronicles the stormy relationship of Joel and Clementine (Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet) who are the worst kind of opposites-attract couple. He's introverted, self-conscious and retiring. She's self-dramatizing, abrasive and in-your-face. After two years of mounting problems and difficulties, Clementine decides to visit Lacuna Inc.
Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) and his unique staff provide a medical service that wipes unwanted memories from the brain. Afterwards Clementine has no idea who Joel is, so he responds by getting the same the procedure done to erase her.
The rest of "Sunshine" takes place at Joel’s apartment as Dr. Mierzwiak's highly dysfunctional assistants (Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Kirsten Dunst) smoke pot and party in Joel's room as he undergoes the process.
Parts of their conversations float into Joel's mind and influence his fantasies. At some point he realizes what is going on and begins to panic as some of his fondest memories are being systematically destroyed. He begins to fight back and attempts to hide Clementine in the subconscious of his mind. The result is a fun-house tour of Joel's cerebrum.
Director Michael Gondry previously collaborated with Kaufman on “Human Nature,” which resulted in the writer’s least well known and acclaimed film. Gondry clearly doesn't have a great gift for bringing this kind of bizarre material to life.
Gondry choose to shoot the film in a gray-palette drabness (of icy city streets and dreary apartments) that continue throughout the movie, even in the scenes inside Joel's memory. In a film like “21 Grams” this has the effect of making the film gritty and serious. I’m not sure if “Eternal Sunshine” benefited, instead it just made the film seem kind of drab, like a rainy day.
Kaufman's other director-partner, Spike Jonze, who shot both "Malkovich" and "Adaptation" is a genius, and has considerably more talent than Gondry. “Malkovich” holds up as a brilliant, brilliant film.
Jim Carrey gives an effective, low-key performance, but I don’t think that anyone would argue that his character is more compelling than Cusack’s puppeteer or Cage’s version of Kaufman. Probably one of the few weaknesses of the film would be that both Joel and Clementine are not very likable people.
As is the case most of Kaufman films, the concept of the movie rather than just the film itself is extremely thought-provoking.
In today’s America, where people attempt to cut corners and fix things instantly, the ability to erase painful memories would probably take off pretty quickly.
The drawbacks are obvious: not being able to learn from your mistakes and in the case of a relationship, there are the pleasant memories that are also being taken away. Some would argue that a traumatic memory is a precious commodity that makes us tougher, and capable of growth.
There are some really horrible things that are better off forgotten like when you walk in on your parents or see something really, really awful on rotten.com. But no one seems to be using Lacuna Inc. for anything more than a failed relationship or a dead pet.
As for Joel and Clementine, we are left to wonder if they will experience the same problems and dead ends that they came upon during their first two years, or if they can somehow work things out. Either way they have lost two years worth of common ground and it seems very sad.
Kaufman's script is, on the whole, boldly imaginative and enjoyably challenging. It doesn't fall apart in the climax like “Adaptation” did. While it might not be on the same level as “Malkovich,” this is a film that will provoke much more thought than “50 First Dates” or “Paycheck.”
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| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
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Distributed Beers
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| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
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