Sometimes a buzz surrounds a movie for the right reasons: the actors are sharp, the cinematography is artful, the writing is witty, the scenery is moving. Sometimes, however, those things cannot save even the most promising of films. Such is the case for Michael Gondry’s newest movie, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey.

The concept is intriguing: two lovers, unhappy with their relationship, opt to undergo a procedure that erases selected memories in their minds — memories they have of each other. It is an overnight process, during which time the technicians of the procedure watch over the patient as he sleeps, erasing memories as they pop up on their brain radar. Carrey’s character, Joel Barish, realizes during the procedure that he does not, in fact, want his memories of Winslet’s character, Clementine, removed.

Almost the entirety of the movie is inside Joel’s head, during the evening of erasing. Unlike most films that rely on a cohesive story to develop characters, “Sunshine” uses compiled snapshots to do so. Joel’s memories glide by on screen, allowing the audience to make their own interpretations as to the motivations of each character.

Possibilities for thematic greatness abound. First and foremost, the film can be a tribute to the old adage, “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never have loved at all.” Even though Joel’s memories are sometimes painful, he would prefer to retain the knowledge that he felt as happy as Clementine originally made him. The film is wrought with scenes from their relationship — moments that are touching both visually and emotionally.

The practice of erasing someone’s mind whenever he or she feels distress from certain memories is morally questionable. Who are we to know what purpose memories serve, and, more importantly, who are we to change that process? Joel’s rejection of the procedure once it is underway also hints at themes of man struggling against modernity, trying to find himself amid a maze of seemingly random occurrences in life. Joel is originally drawn to Clementine because she is modern and refreshing — she dyes her hair wild colors, lives impulsively, thinks romantically. This very modernity eventually turns into the problem he has with her.

These are things you think of after the movie, if you bother to think back on it at all. The truth is, the film is mostly driven by its style, which consists of fast-paced editing and picturesque cinematography. The lighting and angles create a definite mood, as does the sometimes overdone acting by Carrey.

Gondry’s style in filmmaking is obviously affected by his previous experience — he’s made music videos for the likes of Chemical Brothers and Bjork. He is good at creating a feeling through visuals, but the film fails to come together as anything truly powerful. The film relies too heavily on showing memories to develop characters. Despite the emotion of the actors, the audience gets no real sense of who they are. More importantly, there is nothing that creates sympathy for the couple. Their relationship seems to have started as an idyll, to have ended bitterly — typical boring love stuff.

Actually, even this could have been overcome — this could have been just a nice, shallow art flick. Unfortunately, the novelty of the concept wears off. In fact, the memory-driven plot eventually goes too far. The result is jarring.The momentum is lost. It doesn’t even matter that the story ends with a complete cop-out.