Most movie trailers don't do much for me...the good ones are very average, while the bad ones often give away the entire plot. Did anyone actually want to see The Prince and Me after the trailer shows the couple courting, falling in love, breaking up, falling in love again, breaking up again, and living happily ever after?
A very small collection of movies have trailers that are so good that I know I will see the film as soon as it comes out. Check out the trailer for Garden State (its worth your time) if you want to know what I mean. A great trailer doesn't always equal a great film (see: Unbreakable) but is a good start.
From the first beats of ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky" in the trailer of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I knew I wanted to see this movie. I mean, I REALLY wanted to see this movie. I had been talking about it for months...I'm not the biggest Charlie Kaufman fan, but he is always original and the cast for this movie was very intriguing (Jim Carrey, Kate
4-25-04 - EBall
4-21-04 - Kevin on Running
4-20-04 - Some Thoughts
4-19-04 - NBA Review/Preview
4-18-04 - Reena's Guest Column
4-17-04 - Poking Fun
4-16-04 - The Tonkawa Incident
Archives
1) Jealous Guy - Elliot Smith (Lennon cover)
2) Rape Me - Nirvana
3) I Was Just Thinking - Teitur
4) Cmon Baby - Bob Schneider
5) Get in the Van - 2 Skinnee J's
6) About Her - Malcolm McLaren
7) Let Go - Frou Frou
8) Dig Through My Window - Guided by Voices
9) Secret - Maroon 5
10) The Bronze Beached Boys - Pas/Cal
By the time I actually bought a ticket, my expectations were unreasonably high. Heck, I was already planning a potential column about whether or not I might be want to undergo the procedure. Instead, I came out of the movie with a very different column.
***A WORD OF WARNING...YOU MAY WANT TO STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE. THERE WILL BE A SPOILER OR TWO***
I feel that every person needs something to believe in something. I can't imagine how strong someone would have to be to go through life without core belief system. A good number of people find that something extra, that something necessary in religion. Although I respect those who do, no form of organized religion has ever really resonated with me. What I do believe in can most simply be summed up by one word...love. I find hope in the love of a girl, in the love from my family, in the love from my friends. I can be inspired by the love of all creatures, the love I have of writing, or even my love of the Astros.
I believe that Eternal Sunshine capture the both the best and worst reality of what romantic love truly is. The film captures the dredge, grime, coldness and bitterness that can exist within broken-in love. It understands the desperation, loneliness, and utter insanity that one experiences at the end of a long-term relationship. The whole idea that someone would want to erase a former love from one's memory surely resonates with anyone who has recently experienced a difficult break-up.
If this movie only captured the depressing reality of heartbreak, it would still be a very good film. What make it magical, though, is that Kaufman grasps the innocent wonder of falling in love without putting a Hollywood sheen on it. It shows how spectacular those first few months of some new relationships are. How when you are together, it feels as if no one else in the world matters... how when you aren't together, you feel incomplete...how sweet and sensitive a guy can be when no one else is watching...how nice it is to be completely comfortable with another person. When Carrey's character begs to hold on to one particular heartbreakingly tender memory, the audience visibly tenses up. We're all remembering a memory like than. And we all are still hurting.
Depending on your viewpoint, one can find the ending of the movie either very depressing or incredibly uplifting. Winslet and Carrey's characters choose to pursue a relationship anew despite the fact that they find out that it ended horribly before. Some might see two characters settling for each other because they both are terrified of being alone...I view both acting very courageously. They know that they took a wrong turn somewhere, but believe in themselves and in love enough to believe that they can overcome the potholes this time around. Whether it is brave or foolish to try something that you have already failed at is a matter of opinion...that is probably what some of us get back with exes and while others swear against it.
I'd be remiss if I didn't note that the performances were great. This is the first Jim Carrey role that I have actually forgotten that I am watching Jim Carrey playing a character...it is like he turned into Peter Krause. Ruffalo shines as a slacker/geek/chic hybrid and Kirsten Dunst was more charming than usual. But Kate Winslet is a revelation. She plays her character in a way that makes you want to comfort her, to slap her, to fuck her, to swear her off, and marry her all over again. She is absolutely fantastic...plus her hair is pretty cool too. I have some bizarre attraction to the bad dye job thing.
Even a couple of weeks after seeing the film, I'm still left with some questions. Primarily, what is this movie saying about fate? Are these characters supposed to be each other's soul mate, or are they just connected by an undeniable attraction?
In the end, I think its fitting that I'm still left wondering. Kaufman's characters are all lost and not one really seems to have it together. Just like us. If you have learned anything from reading my columns and everyone else's guest columns, it is that none of us have all of the answers. We're all adrift. Some days we have a lot of the answers, many more days we only have a few. Eternal Sunshine represents this confusion, but doesn't judge it. And for that, and many other reasons, I love it.
