Review of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) by Tall_But_Short — 07 Aug 2013

Dark and fun.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a movie that is very different from all the other apocalyptic movies I have seen. This movie is something else…and I like it. Steve Carell stars as Dodge, a lonely insurance agent who really doesn’t know what to do anymore with all the “apocalypse mumbo-jumbo.” At the start of the film, his wife leaves him after hearing the news that a meteor will be hitting Earth in three days, ending life as everyone knows. Dodge tries to hang out with his friends and party but while everyone is doing drugs and having sex with random people, not caring about the consequences, Dodge just doesn’t feel right about doing anything. The movie is categorized and advertised as a comedy and while I will say I had a few laughs in the movie, I would not call it a comedy but more of a drama with tiny bits of comedy sprinkled here and there. Dodge soon meets Penny (Keira Knightley) one day while she is mourning over wasting her life with all the wrong men instead of more time with her family. Soon, a riot breaks out and causes these two new friends to flee their apartment building. Dodge is on a journey to meet his high school sweet heart or “the one that got away” while Penny just wants to see her family once again. The film is very well acted by everyone, especially the two lead roles and I thought they had very good chemistry together. On the road trip, they encounter many different types of people which makes the movie an interesting ride. Watching the movie and seeing all the chaos going on, it made me wonder what I would do in a situation like this and to be honest, I don’t think I am ready to answer that question. Overall, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is not your average apocalypse movie. It’s sweet, it’s fun, and it’s thoughtful.