Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the greatest Romance movie of all time.

I just got done watching this movie and I had to sing its praises somewhere, so please forgive the unoriginal post.

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Wow. This movie might be my favorite of all-time (I'll have to watch it a few more times and decide). It's just so good. Jim Carrey is fantastic, Kate Winslet is perfect, the supporting cast is great, the writing is subtle and captivating, the special effects are pleasing to look at, the music is always appropriate for the tone, and it all works together brilliantly to fit whatever's happening on-screen. It has a really brilliant flow to it. The writing and acting support each other, nothing felt out of place and I was constantly being whisked from one entertaining moment to the next. It didn't linger. It moved on relatively quickly, unlike our protagonist. The special effects and music are used to amplify the mood, unlike more shallow movies where the special effects are the sole attraction

Normally I would feel pretentious describing a movie as "deep," but Eternal Sunshine is an accurate fit for that descriptor. The movie is filled with details that I'll enjoy again on a rewatch. It's the type of movie where you notice something different every time, and I really appreciate when directors take the time to include that.

Jim Carrey's performance was unexpectedly good. I only knew him from Dumb & Dumber, Ace Ventura, and the Truman Show (which was a drama but took on a somewhat comedic tone at times through Jim Carrey's acting). Seeing Carrey as a boring, serious guy was a change of pace and he completely nailed it. Of course, his funny side was allowed to shine through the relationship as well. I remember a scene where he was slapping her butt and singing a song or something and it was hilarious. And I actually think it was a brilliant move to let Jim Carrey play a restrained guy, because when he was allowed to be emotional it really shined. I remember a scene where he shouted so loudly his voice broke, and that was a really cool moment.

The "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" trope probably wouldn't exist without Kate Winslet's performance in this movie. She totally nailed this archetype and her performance was mesmerizing and mysterious. She is totally free-spirited and unpredictable, it just left me in awe of what she was going to do next. She was sexy and offbeat, truly original and one-of-a-kind (which must have hurt very badly when she left).

The true beauty in this film, though, is in the way it views relationships. It doesn't skip past the fights, the miscommunication, the bullshit aspects of being in a relationship. The part where you slowly fall out of love with the person you loved so much before. These issues play a central role in the movie, unlike most romance movies where they are either ignored or used as a plot point. They are handled realistically and maturely in this movie. And yet somehow it avoids being nihilistic, it ends by demonstrating that love is worth trying even if you fail.

And I think that's the whole point of this movie. You're going to have relationships which cause you deep pain and maybe you'd prefer to forget them. But don't forget the good times you had with the person, and it's better to experience the good and the bad alike.

10/10 movie.

Submitted November 25, 2018 at 11:26PM by myaccountforIRLstuff https://ift.tt/2zp0Eje