What did you think of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

It was pretty good, but I thought it was really odd, how it dives onto weird sci-fi territory.

MINOR SPOILER

Mainly their is a machine that is capable of erasing memories, but I felt this was weird cause the movie is suppose to take place in the real world in modern times and it's very hard to believe that not only could such a machine be invented, but that the government would actually pass licensing laws, allowing a doctor to use it in his clinic.

And I thought to myself, why didn't the writers just write the doctor to be a hypnotherapist instead? That way he can use hypnosis to erase the character's memories, and it becomes much more plausible. It seemed like such an easy fix, but maybe I am wrong?

What did you think of it?

Chalk it up to conservation of narrative and suspension of disbelief - the legality is ultimately irrelevant to the film at large so it's never addressed. One possible explanation is that the invention is relatively new, as evidenced by the business itself being a small one with one boss and three employees that doesn't have too many customers. It's possible that the government either hasn't heard of it or has but considers it a hoax since it sounds so unbelievable. It's possible that they would've shut it down eventually, but since the business seems to implode before that point, it doesn't matter.

As for the hypnotherapist angle - in short, then there would be no movie. This is science fiction, after all - we're already talking about erasing memories so one method of doing that being more "plausible" than another is, again, irrelevant. Besides, having it be a machine makes narrative sense and the fact that it seems like an "easy fix" is kind of the point - the characters are supposed to realise that the easy fix is not the right answer so they ultimately resist it.

__________________
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

I had no problem with the memory erasing machine. Its within the realm of possibility and its treated in such a casual way that I never really thought about how "unbelievable" it all was. My problem was with accepting the relationship between the two main characters. Because it seemed so unlikely it was hard for me to accept it as the pillar of the story. And I was kind of dubious the whole time they were together. Like I was watching some day dream he was having about a girl he knew he could never get with.

And then when memories start becoming a feature of the film it got terribly confusing for me. What was real. What was true. what was going on. I needed to really get to the very end to get all the pieces and then I had to piece it back together and in the course of doing that I missed a lot of the emotional significance of many of the scenes. Also, Im still not sure of the central message of the film. Is it in fact that love is deeper than memory or is it more a statement about the inevitable corruption of trying to use artificial means to free ourselves of emotional discomfort? Perhaps the latter was just a plot device to emphasize the former?

__________________
Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies...

This was from 3 years ago.

@Iroquois pretty much summed up my thoughts here, it is sci/fi after all.

__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

My top 3 Romance movie of all time!

Here is my list:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls006016114/

__________________
You talkin' to me?

Movies don't need to be believable: they just need to make sense within their own internal logic. The initial premise can and should be taken as a given unless it's implications are completely glossed over in ways that would totally preclude it. But skipping over boring things like "how would they regulate the technology" is just fine provided it's clear from the beginning that the movie isn't about that.

If a movie tells me "magic exists in this world," I accept that so that the story will be possible. It's only a problem if they start off telling a story without magic and then use magic to solve a narrative problem without any indication it was available as a solution.

I think using hypnotherapy might be less believable, because it already exists and we know it doesn't work with the kind of reliability or precision (relatively speaking) as what's depicted in the film. But since the technology is new, whether it can "work" is at least not disproven. The fact that we don't really understand it, then, is not a flaw, but a necessity.

It also lends a more fantastic quality that, I think, dovetails better with the more satirical and metaphorical aspects of the story.

Indeed Yoda, I think the film quiet deliberately presents the technology as being somewhat outlandish inline with its general tone. Beyond obviously being a device for the story to be told in the fashion it is I would say if a point is being made its not about the specific dangers of such technology but of the importance of painful memories.

As well being smart/amusing I'd say a clear strength of the film was that unlike a lot of tragic romances it did actually reel like the natural outcome of the characters rather than the plot throwing them around. Seems rather Satre like to me basically people looking to shift someone else more to there own view of them rather than accepting them for whothey are. As for a wider message perhaps a comment on the value of romance even if its impermanent?

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a thought-provoking masterpiece that masterfully explores the complexities of love, memory, and human connection. @basketrandom Its nonlinear storytelling and surreal visuals perfectly reflect the fragmented nature of memory and emotions. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet deliver incredible performances, showcasing raw vulnerability and depth. The film beautifully balances heartache and hope, leaving you to ponder whether erasing pain is worth losing the joy that comes with it.

Not much

I'm a huge fan.

__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd

I liked it.

Haven't seen it in ages but it was best-of-the-decade material, if not "of all time".

Hardly a week passes without me wishing the technology depicted there was real... lol.

It's boring.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind isn’t a sci-fi movie I can watch over and over again, like other sci-fi. I didn’t find it to be very entertaining but intelligent and thought-provoking. It also had what in my opinion is Jim Carrey’s greatest performance. Btw, I sometimes wish there existed a machine that could erase my memories of certain people.

Mark

I'd rather forget about it. Budum-ts.

__________________
Sent via Blackberry

I've grown bored with Gondry's general aesthetic, but this was when it still felt somewhat fresh and not as whimsically bland as it would eventually become. Also, it never hurts when Charles Kaufman writes your script. His imagination, and the depth of feeling that exist in his characters worlds, is still pretty unparalleled and puts most similar screenwriters to shame.

Never saw it. Should I?

I agree on all points except I would say that while it's undoubtedly a lot closer to his home turf and all I still hold his performance in Man on the Moon next to this one if not above. Not to imply some of his more silly stuff isn't good.

@heineken
“I agree on all points except I would say that while it's undoubtedly a lot closer to his home turf and all I still hold his performance in Man on the Moon next to this one if not above. Not to imply some of his more silly stuff isn't good.”

Carrey’s performance in Man on the Moon was terrific; I’d put that one a close second. IMO, he deserved Oscar nominations for both films, but the AMPAS would never deign to recognize him for anything.
As for the “silly stuff,” NOTHNIG beats Carrey’s performance as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb & Dumber, IMO.
“We got no food, we got no job, our pets' heads are falling off!”

Mark

It's a genre thing. Fantasy/Sci-fi Drama. Or something along those lines. Surreal elements are to be expected.

I'm a big fan of the concept when it works and I think they did fairly well with this one.

Some other examples:

Being John Malkovich (1999)

The Family Man (2000)

Midnight in Paris (2011)

The Man From Earth (2007)