Review of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) by Stu F — 03 Nov 2017
No other actress today can do as much with her countenance as Keira Knightly. Her expressiveness is boundless and her acting spot on. Look to: Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Domino and even her comedy chops in The Pirates of the Caribbean series, to appreciate her range and what she can bring to an ensemble. Add to that Steve Carrel, whose likability quotient skyrockets with his lower keyed characters, and we have a chance at a very special movie, a rare intelligent comedy with both heart and soul.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World by Lorene Scafaria has become one of my favorite movies. This jewel of creative thought was shamelessly pulled from the theaters before it could find an audience. Drivel and schlock fill the cineplex and apparently there's no room for something different. The early reviews were mixed and mostly centered on what it wasn't, causing its early ouster. I feel compelled to defend what it is.
This is a darkly comic yet heartfelt look at other side of a pending apocalypse. Blockbusters like Armageddon tell what our bigger than life heroes might do to save the day, but what about the rest of us, just waiting for the end? What do we do? What would you do?
The story is about a sad sack who laments his misspent life and flighty homesick free spirit, thrown together in the final days. Each deciding to help the other they embark on a quest to find his lost love and get her back home. The genius is in their encounters and the back round satire, both subtle and not. The last third is for anyone with a beating heart and the ending is spot on perfect.
I found the critiques totally off the mark. One complaint was about its "jarring tonal shifts." Yes, the end of the world can be a bit unnerving. Some didn't like Steve Carell, but nobody plays a deflated sole better. And there is no shortage of Keira Knightley detractors. Well, they are just flat out wrong. Think Keira and Steve don't belong together? They don't. That is entirely the point. This movie makes you feel. It makes you think. It gets more captivating with every viewing. And that, my friends, is the true essence of art.
Watch it and let its slow burn win you over and then afterward see if you don't ask yourself, what you would do?
This review of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) was written by Stu F on 03 Nov 2017.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World has generally received positive reviews.
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