Review of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) by Spencer S — 27 Jun 2013

There is something decidedly cheeky and gut wrenchingly depressing about this film, but you wouldn't know it from the start or for much of this film. The characters are certainly depressed by the state of their abysmal lives, but much of the film is saturated in feel good energy, in-jokes, and oftentimes a bit of fun here and there.

This mostly comes from leads Steve Carrell and Kierra Knightley who each play outside of their comfort zones. While Carrell has played the maudlin sad sack in faire such as "Dan in Real Life" and "Little Miss Sunshine," here there is reserved anger brewing right under the surface that doesn't get resolved, doesn't lead to a large argument, or declaration of independence as it were.

As the world is ending, asteroid barreling towards the planet, he swallows the bile of his paltry life and decides to act on what he's always felt but never acted upon. Knightley in comparison plays a wanton and idle young woman who is trying to piece together the last good moments of her life while also road tripping with fellow neighbor Dodge (Carrell).

Knightley has never been so likable and tame in a performance, and though the chemistry between the fifty year old Carrell and thirty year old Knightley is not as concrete as most critics oblige, there is an innocence and floundering gratitude for them being an item.

Though its original premise seems just as good, there was an appreciation for taking the story slow and actually evolving their love for the audience to see plainly. Where a lot of people seem to get lost in a personal dilemma comes with the ending which doesn't leave any doubt in people's minds.

I have heard it argued that it should end ten minutes before, and if it had, there would have been a beautiful impact left from not having that shoehorned resolution. Even at the end of the world not everything gets tied up in a neat little bow, and that message would have meant more.

Leaving something like the end of the world open ended makes it so much easier to love.