Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson
Director: Michel Gondry
The film: The combination of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Michel Gondry seems a perfect meeting of minds. Gondry's work in music videos with the likes of The White Stripes has always had an esoteric air. Kaufman has been behind some of the most exciting films to come out of Hollywood in recent years, among them Being John Malkovich (1999) and Adaptation (2002). And while their previous collaboration, Human Nature (2001), seemed more a case of a missed opportunity, everything goes right for them with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
First up, they gave Jim Carrey another chance to demonstrate the depth of his acting abilities. As shown in The Truman Show (1998) and Man on the Moon (1999), once the funny faces have been removed, the heart of a great actor beats inside this funnyman.
He plays Joel Barish, a down-and-out guy who learns that his ex-girlfriend (Kate Winslet, right with Carrey) is having the memories of their time together stripped from her mind. So, he decides to do the same. But Joel changes his mind halfway through the procedure and must fight to keep what he has locked away in his brain.