10 Great Films That Reclaimed Rom-Coms For Men

7. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

Not particularly comic €“ in fact, rather more tragic €“ this is another all-time great, featuring a stellar central relationship and based around a wonderful and original premise: that each of the two protagonists chooses to erase the memories of the other, only to find themselves drawn together all over again. Despite the high concept, ths film still follows a familiar template, with Jim Carrey's quiet Everyman Joel drawn towards Kate Winslet's eccentric and extroverted Clementine. The great joy of the film's unfolding lies in watching the first relationship in reverse, from breakdown to genesis, even as the other develops anew with the characters ignorant of their fate until the very end. Charlie Kaufman is widely recognised as an incredible and original mind, with this probably his best and most complete work to date. The performances anchor the film and render the concept more believable, with Jim Carrey' wonderfully subdued performance as Joel counterweighted by Kate Winslet's effervescent turn as Clementine. Director Spike Jonze provides the perfect channel, with a visual style that complements everything beautifully. Like Notting Hill, we are also blessed by side characters and plots that provide much more than just comedic distraction, but instead point to the tragic consequences of forgetting. While it might seem a little bit of a stretch to include this on this list, for me it ticks all the boxes and much, much more.
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

I'm just a boy, sitting in front of a blank page, asking it to write itself. Never more at home than when I'm being sent on a journey by a good piece of cinema, I've lost count of the hours spent trying to persuade people that Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson is the finest actor of his generation. When I grow up, I want to be Elwood P Dowd, but I'd settle for being George Bailey.