Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind felt like an immediate cult favorite when it was released in 2004, with fans latching on to the unique structure, meshing of genres and instantly memorable screenplay. Now it seems it has found another generation, as star Kate Winslet says her own kids can quote Eternal Sunshine better than she can.
In a recent interview with People, Kate Winslet said, “That generation, there are specific lines of dialogue that they latch onto. My kids and their friends will quote back to me. They’ll be like, ‘Do you know who said that?’ And I’ll say, ‘No. Who said that?’ And they’ll be, ‘You did, Mom, as Clementine in Eternal Sunshine!’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that amazing line.’ So they are kind of clinging onto these things that’s really fun and certainly unexpected.”
Kate Winslet’s kids are also big fans of the Eternal Sunshine soundtrack. “[They] love the soundtrack…So regularly, I’ll hear from someone’s bedroom, Beck blasting. I’ll be like, ‘That’s Eternal Sunshine.’ So that’s kind of amazing.” Beck contributed “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime”, which isn’t exactly a “blast” song–might we suggest “Something” by The Willowz?
There is plenty original and enough to quote in the script. The Writers Guild of America named Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind the second best of the 21st century, just behind Jordan Peele’s Get Out and ahead of Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Network. Michel Gondry won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Kate Winslet received the film’s only other nomination, with her fourth career one out of seven so far.
Kate Winslet is currently on the promotional circuit for Avatar: The Way of Water. This is the first time she has worked with James Cameron since 1997’s Titanic, for which she became one of the youngest Oscar nominees for Best Actress. Last year, Winslet won an Emmy for her turn in HBO’s Mare of Easttown. She will return to HBO with the upcoming miniseries The Palace, which will “tell the story of one year within the walls of the palace of an authoritarian regime as it begins to unravel.”
What is your favorite quote or needle drop from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?