Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004

 “Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d” fr. Pope’s “Eloisa to Abelard”

 I watched this February, 2006 

Plot Summary: This is one of your basic start at the end and then work backwards type of things.  Joel and Clementine are a thing.  Joel finds out that Clementine has undergone a procedure to erase him from her mind as a sort of high tech break up.  So then Joel decides he wants the same brain drain.  That is when humanity interjects its little effect: Joel finds as he “loses” Clementine that he still loves her and now wants to hang onto the memories, but he can’t stop the drain.  Thus at the end, they meet each other but do not know each other. 

What I Disliked

• This got sloughey.  Tough to follow at many points.
• Carey has what it takes to act, but I don’t think he can overcome his penchant for comedy at times, even when he wants to.  This was just a little bit shallow.
• Could have done a lot more with this idea. 
• Hollywood is far too in love with the F word. 

What I Liked

• As I googled the title, I hit Pope: How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! / The world forgetting, by the world forgot / Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! / Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d.
• I liked the idea of examining our memory and what it means to us, I just thought they stopped really short of the possibilities.  We cannot get away from pain by erasing the memory of someone.  There will always be someones to replace the someone forgotten.  And so much of our relational pain is 50% us. 

Would I recommend it and to whom?  Nah, not really, it really isn’t worth my friend’s time. Date of Review: March, 2008  

~ by u2isgr8 on March 28, 2008.