For the second time in just over three months, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is being released on DVD, this time as a two disc set. While there's no question in my mind this was the best movie of 2004 (yes, even better than Anacondas ), one has to wonder why Universal didn't simply put out this version to begin with, or at least wait until the shrink wrap from everyone's original copy was on its way to the dump. I guess it's not my job to ask such questions. My job is to determine if whether or not everyone who bought the single disc version should go ahead and shell out cash for this "Collector's Edition."

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a difficult movie to describe, but essentially, Joel (Jim Carrey) is an introverted & unhappy man who meets the love of his life, a free-spirited - and slightly manic - Clementine (Kate Winslet). The two have a tumultuous two-year relationship before she dumps him. Still reeling from the break-up, he finds out that she visited Lacuna, a clinic that can permanently remove any unwanted memories in the human brain, and had him erased from his mind. He retaliates by doing the same thing, but half-way through the process, which involves using lasers & computers to probe the mind while the subject sleeps, he has a change of heart, desperately trying to cling to his memory of her while two bumbling Lacuna technicians are working on him. Meanwhile, outside of Joel's head, one Lacuna employee, Patrick (Elijah Wood), is pursuing Clementine, using the writings in Joel's journal to put the moves on her, which backfires big-time when he directly quotes a heartfelt line Joel said to Clementine early in their relationship. The story doesn't unfold the way I describe it, and part of the fun of the movie is putting the pieces of Joel & Clementine's relationship together, which are brilliantly & surrealistically depicted in Joel's mind, deteriorating before our eyes as they are slowly erased. Most of the film takes place in Joel's head as he fights to retain some memory of Clementine, and what transpires during that time is a triumph of directorial skill by Michel Gondry, a labyrinthine screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, production design and editing. The special effects are also outstanding, mainly because they don't call any attention to themselves, existing only to serve the story, not vice versa. The cast does a great job in their roles; Winslett is terrific playing against type as a foul-mouthed, slightly trashy nymph (she's loud, and often really obnoxious, but we like her anyway). As for Carrey, I've never been a huge fan. He's very talented, but even in his so-called "breakthrough" roles ( The Truman Show & Man on the Moon ), he still came across as another comedian trying to get serious, yet still couldn't completely rid himself of the manic mugging that's been his bread-and-butter for years. That's not the case here; he dials down his persona so much that we truly feel we're watching Joel , not Carrey. Perhaps that's because he knows the real star of the movie is the movie itself.

The features on disc one are the same as the earlier single disc release. There's a short 11 minute featurette with comments by cast & crew members, consisting mostly of gushing praise for the project. Also included is a conversation with Carrey & Gondry, an appropriately weird music video by Polyphonic Spree, deleted scenes, and a mock infomercial for Lacuna. The best feature is a full-length audio commentary by Gondry & Kaufman; considering this feature contains the only comments by Kaufman among the extras, it is easily the most valuable. The extras on disc two are all new, and include a great feature about Gondry's vision in making the film, which has a lot of behind-the-scenes footage. Even better is a fifteen minute featurette focusing on the impressive special effects used to make a key scene; I especially enjoy this one, as it demonstrates how the subtle use of CGI can render a scene so memorable (and I never even noticed one of Winslet's legs had been erased until the FX guys pointed it out). Also included are more deleted scenes (many which include the Naomi character, who Joel dumped for Clementine), a conversation with Winslet & Gondry, and an Easter Egg which reveals a short piece of animation based on the drawing from Joel's journal. The package also includes a booklet with featuring shots from the movie, and buttloads of quotes from movie critics; it's a nicely put-together booklet, but doesn't contain anything of substance.

Similar Films: I think it's safe to say the only movies like this are other ones written by Charlie Kaufman, like Being John Malkovich, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Human Nature ( also directed by Gondry ) & Adaptation . Summary: Folks really into this movie will love all the additional stuff on disc two, but casual admirers who already purchased the first edition could probably live without it. If you haven't already purchased this film, then the two-disc set is definitely the one you want to go with, and the movie itself is without-a-doubt a must own. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a unique, one-of-a-kind film that deserves a shitload of Oscars and will probably get none.