Gondry smartly keeps special effects low-tech and favors a daringly simple visual handheld approach (aided by cinematographer Ellen Kuras). But will the Academy accept the comedian’s shift to semi-serious star? They ignored him in “The Truman Show.”
The real wild card here is Jim Carrey, who turns in a strong performance as the muted, mopey and vulnerable Joel. Oscar nominee Kate Winslet’s livewire Clementine strikes just the right balance of wacky neurotic and wounded charmer, but the actress’ tear-jerking performance in “Finding Neverland” might split her fan-base. And with a larger heart and bigger box office than his prior pics (at over $34 million, “Eternal” out-grosses both “Malkovich” and “Adaptation”), it could find the spotlight in other categories as well. With two noms under his belt (“Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation”), he’s poised for a hat trick with “Eternal,” his fifth script to be produced in as many years. Charlie Kaufman, writer of the cult film Being John Malkovich, returns with another mind-bendingly inventive and unconventional plotline, this time driving a tender romantic comedy. Kaufman’s outrageous, goofy and complex storytelling has won over the Acad before. And while the off-beat story may confound some Acad voters, the same contingent that propelled pics such as “Lost in Translation” and “City of God” to noms last year could bolster support for “Eternal” this year. Such romantic comedies are not standard Oscar fodder but the film surpasses the cliched conventions of the genre, tapping into far more poignant emotions of heartbreak and loneliness.
0 kommentar(er)
