Review - Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World

Asteroids, Death, Destruction – Road Trip?

It’s summer at the movies, so of course we have movies about the end of the world. Massive destruction is on the horizon as a huge asteroid is on a collision course towards earth. Will Smith, Ben Affleck and/or Bruce Willis are coming to the rescue and there will be tons of explosions that will leave the crowd cheering as we prevail over the evil asteroid. (No doubt the entire evil plot was devised by an alien race or Superhero arch nemesis.)

Wait…hold on. This one is R-rated? It doesn’t feature those actors I mentioned above? Hmm…interesting.

That’s right, this is an end of the world film that deals with some of the harsh realities of life and the soon to be extinction of the world as we know it. There’s some humor and fun along the way too, so let me get to this movie.

Dodge (Steve Carell) has heard the worst is coming, and it must be. As he hears we all have 21 days to live, his wife RUNS from the car – an I MEAN RUNS. She is off to enjoy her last 21 days without Dodge, even while he continues to go to work to sell life insurance.

Life continues, albeit in an end of the world type of way for Dodge and the rest of the inhabitants of our planet. There are parties that include drinking, debauchery, and so much more. There are people around Dodge committing suicide as they don’t want to wait for their annihilation. All the while, Dodge continues his “daily grind”. He just wants someone to move towards then end with, a friend.

In his building, the free spirit Penny (Keira Knightley) is having her own issues. One night when she is found on his balcony in tears, Dodge and Penny strike up a friendship. It is then that they decide to help each other get that one last thing they so desire.

Dodge wants one last connection with the one that got away. Penny wants to see her parents “across the pond”. So the two of them run from a riot in the streets and set out on a journey like no other.

Along this journey they meet a number of colorful characters and come across a variety of situations, all of which make for a journey that is sometimes filled with laughter, sometimes with melancholy and still others with sadness. It’s a real end to the world that Dodge and Penny are in, but will they achieve their final goals?

Here’s the scoop with this one…it’s not a happy movie. Sure there are some funny moments, but the topic of the end of the world is real as are the consequences facing the characters.

Carell does a solid job in the deadpan role of Dodge. He seems like that nice guy that has always had a decent life, but is never quite happy with the way things turned out. Knightley is a solid cast across from Carell as she is everything that he isn’t, and brings an air of independence and risk taking to the story that he has not experienced.

I found myself absorbed by the story, and wanting to see what would happen next. While it seemed to cu a couple corners along the way, the journey seemed real. The characters that are added to the story along the way make the ride extremely interesting and even thought provoking at times. What would you do if you knew there was 21 days left on Earth?

Many will anticipate a humorous film with Steve Carell involved, but it’s not a comedy. Not everything is happy with a topic like this. And while you won’t be “whistling Dixie” when you come from this film. You will appreciate what was on the screen and the depth of Steve Carell. We’ve seen it from Knightley before, and the two together were a couple of strangers that you could root for a positive outcome to their stories.

I really enjoyed the ride, even if there was no Bruce Willis to save the day. The asteroids, death and destruction were muted, but the road trip continues.

B+

Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World

Focus Features

Director: Lorene Scafaria

Cast: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley

Rating: R for language including sexual references, some drug use and brief violence.

Runtime: 1 hour 41 minutes