the Mind’s Chew Toy

So, Jim Carrey has started to fall into a pattern. He comes out with a couple of huge comedy films (Liar, Liar, Bruce Almighty (2003), etc.), then delves into a more “serious” role. Last time, he doubled up with Man on the Moon and The Majestic.

This time around, it looks like he’s only doing one “serious” film: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, before going back into comedy with Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events (2004) (whoa, Jim, I see another trend starting here - you’re movie titles keep getting longer! What happened to the short titles - two words is good enough, ya know).

So, after a highly applauded performance and a dismal bomb last time around (Man on the Moon and The Majestic, respectively), which way would his “serious” performance in Eternal Sunshine lean?

Shockingly, Jim Carrey pulls off a wonderful performance in this serious role. Kate Winslet (ol’ Titanic girl) actually takes on his usual role, delivering a shockingly good performance in her role as well.

The two of them work very well together, which is probably most amazing. Before this film, if someone had mentioned Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey were teaming up for a film, the average viewer would have been stunned. Luckily, they were both able to break out of their reglar personas and deliver great performances in this film.

Elijah “Hobbit” Wood continues to stink up the screen, unfortunately. You would think the Lord of the Rings trilogy would have brought out a better actor in him for future films to capitalize on, but it didn’t. He was able to struggle through that trilogy, even improving somewhat throughout the series, but now has again fallen to his sub-par acting level.

Mark Ruffalo and Kirsten Dunst also turn in decent performances, making Elijah Wood’s abysmal showing stand out even more.

The plot takes a bit from an old Schwartezenegger film (Total Recall), and ends up expanding that small section into a film of it’s own right. In Total Recall, Schwartenegger’s character Quaid goes on an adventure that is implanted in his mind.

In this film, instead of implanting something in the mind, the techonlogy they showcase actually removes all memories of someone. It’s an interesting concept, and most people will be able to sympathize somewhat with the main characters right from the start. After all, who among us hasn’t gone through a bad breakup and, even for a second, wished they could just remove all memories of their ex?

Not content to stop there, the film actually expands on the idea. Many films before have showcased that changing time doesn’t really change anything, as people are doomed to repeat themselves. This theme has been showcased in many different films, mostly to the main character’s misfortune.

This time around, they are turning “doomed to repeat ourselves” into not such a bad thing. It seems, the movie says, that we can’t help who we fall in love with, and erasing our memories won’t change that. Really, you could say the movie speaks to the true power of love.

The way the film is put together instantly draws the viewer in. It’s a bit disjointed at first, as we come into the story somewhat in the middle, but it hooks the viewer’s attention. Once the viewer begins to realize the story doesn’t start where they think it did, it’s an instant draw, because the viewer will want to know how the film really started.

Pulp Fiction used this to an extreme, and many movies have tried to go the same route since, but this is one of the few where that route actually makes sense. The movie would have been somewhat boring if we had been led step-by-step through it, so switching things around actually greatly improves the film.

Having said all that, it’s obvious I liked Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Heather, on the the other hand, didin’t. Maybe it’s just one of those films where you either like it alot or you hate it.

Either way, you’ll be impressed by Jim Carrey’s serious turn. If you liked seeing Adam Sandler taking a serious turn in Punch-Drunk Love (2002), you’ll probably enjoy this film.

However, if you see Adam Sandler or Jim Carrey’s name in a film and expect to laugh, then neither of these films are for you.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind beats out Punch-Drunk Love (2002) in my book, but they both showcase a somewhat hidden side of a comedian - and both Jiim Carrey and Adam Sandler have really stepped up to the plate.