Screenwriters rarely develop a distinctive voice that can be recognized from movie to movie, but the ornate imagination of Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) has made him a unique and much-needed cinematic presence. In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a guy decides to have the memories of his ex-girlfriend erased after she's had him erased from her own memory--but midway through the procedure, he changes his mind and struggles to hang on to their experiences together. In other hands, the premise of memory-erasing would become a trashy science-fiction thriller; Kaufman, along with director Michel Gondry, spins this idea into a funny, sad, structurally complex, and simply enthralling love story that juggles morality, identity, and heartbreak with confident skill. The entire cast--Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson, and more--give superb performances, carefully pitched so that cleverness never trumps feeling. A great movie.
1. Theme - Jon Brion
2. Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra (not featured in the motion picture)
3. Collecting Things - Jon Brion
4. Light & Day - The Polyphonic Spree
5. Bookstore - Jon Brion
6. It's The Sun - The Polyphonic Spree (live, not featured in the motion picture)
7. Wada Na Tod - Lata Mangeshkar
8. Showtime - Jon Brion
9. Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes - Beck
10. Sidewalk Flight - Jon Brion
11. Some Kinda Shuffle - Don Nelson
12. Howard Make It All Go Away - Jon Brion
13. Something - The Willows
14. Postcard - Jon Brion
15. I Wonder - The Willowz (not featured in the motion picture)
16. Peer Pressure - Jon Brion
17. Dream Upon Waking, A - Jon Brion
18. Strings That Tie To You - Jon Brion
19. Phone Call - Jon Brion
20. Nola's Bounce - Jon Brion
21. Down The Drain - Jon Brion
22. Row - Jon Brion
23. Drive In - Jon Brion
24. Main Title - Jon Brion
25. Spotless Mind - Jon Brion
26. Elephant Parade - Jon Brion
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
