Brilliant and Brillianter

The words “Jim Carrey” and “masterpiece” seem oxymoronic, but the Pet Detective’s made two for the ages: The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Both films were born from marvelous conceptual leaps, then fleshed out by screenwriters Andrew Niccol and Charlie Kaufman, respectively. Still, each soared because...

By Clay McNear

February 21, 2008

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The words “Jim Carrey” and “masterpiece” seem oxymoronic, but the Pet Detective’s made two for the ages: The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Both films were born from marvelous conceptual leaps, then fleshed out by screenwriters Andrew Niccol and Charlie Kaufman, respectively. Still, each soared because of Carrey, filmdom’s Silly Putty Everyman. In Sunshine, Carrey and a screw-loose Kate Winslet play lovers who have their minds wiped to numb the pain of mutual loss. It’s a spooky setup, but not unappealing for those who mourn.
Sun., Feb. 24, 1 p.m., 2008

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