'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Film'

To say "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," the new movie written by the audacious Charlie Kaufman, is incredibly original would be highly redundant. Kaufman's name has become synonymous with originality since establishing himself as the screenwriting golden boy behind such imagination-benders as "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation."\nSo, yes, "Eternal Sunshine" follows suit and is a highly entertaining dark comedy and, surprisingly, an often touching romance. \nLike all of Kaufman's works, this one deals with the mind, this time with specific focus on our memories. It's full of cinematic tricks, surprises, turns and twists. It's told in the dimensions inside and outside the human mind, partially in chronological order and partially in reverse, and, amazingly, is still not difficult to follow.\nKaufman usually teams up with director Spike Jonze, but this time the director is Michel Gondry, a great veteran of music videos including many for The White Stripes. A good music video looks great, feels fun and is creative but doesn't lose the essence of the song. That balanced approach is part of the brilliance of "Eternal." It has a very unique premise, but isn't so brainy that it drowns out all the heart.\nI knew very little about the plot going in, and I'm now convinced the less one knows about the actual plot the more one will wholly enjoy this movie. I'll be pithy: Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) have a nasty break-up. To recover, Clem hires the services of Lacuna Inc., a company which specializes in erasing memories. When Joel finds out, he hires them to wash Clem out of his mind as well.\nHere's the problem: about halfway through the procedure, Joel changes his mind when he realizes the good memories of Clem are fading away along with the bad. What follows and unfolds is a complex, wonderful maze through Joel's mind, with Kaufman and Gondry holding your hands.\nThe cast is strong all around. Carrey has had his ups and downs with serious roles (up in "The Truman Show," down in "The Majestic"), but he's found one which is just perfect here. He brings a charming depth to this role, and while it won't get him that Oscar nod he desires, it's a role which feels very real for him. \nThe bottom line is "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.