Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)
Starring Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Adam Brody, Connie Britton, Rob Corddry, Derek Luke, and Martin Sheen
Directed by Lorene Scafaria
Second-time screenwriter Lorene Scafaria's debut directorial effort takes two disparate people -- the forlorn, depressed Dodge (Steve Carell) and the free-spirirted Penny (Keira Knightley) -- and forces them together as they trek from New York to Delaware (shout out to the First State!) to be with their families ahead of an impending 70-mile wide asteroid making impact with Earth bringing an end to civilization. Although Dodge and Penny lived in the same apartment complex for years, they never knew each other at all. When Dodge's wife leaves him and Penny's boyfriend (Adam Brody) proves to be not all she pegged him to be, the two find themselves involved in a mutually beneficial "end of the world" relationship. Penny has a car that can take Dodge to his father's house in Delaware and Dodge says that he knows someone who can fly Penny to be with her family in England before the impending apocalypse. Along the way, we are given what are essentially vignettes of Dodge and Penny meeting people who are preparing in different ways for the end of the world.
While none of these vignettes prove detrimental individually to the film, when put together, they don't really amount to much. Despite the somewhat hollow feeling we have watching people act quirky despite their impending death, I still found myself completely interested in what was happening...and then the last thirty minutes of this movie come along and make everything that comes before it seem like it should have taken place in a completely different movie. There's a tonal shift that the director/screenwriter can't ever quite effectively mesh together. Both parts work individually, but they disappoint a bit when combined and we look at the movie as a whole.
It's a shame, really, because the final moments of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World were simply fantastic. The last scene will likely end up very high on my 2012 RyMickey Awards Best Scene category (posting soon in June). Admittedly, despite the distinct moods of the film, Ms. Scafaria does effectively create a relationship between Dodge and Penny. Credit for this connection certainly must be doled out to Steve Carell and Keira Knightley who seem like such an odd coupling that I had absolutely no desire to see this film in the first place. However, Carell in particular does some great work here. The film overall lands squarely in the "dramedy" category and Carell is able to play both the humor and pathos of Dodge quite admirably. It was also a pleasant surprise for Knightley to tackle the more comedic character of the duo. I look forward to seeing Carell pursue more dramatic work and Knightley taking on comedy if this film is any indication of their capabilities.
Yes, there are problems with Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, but I almost want you to ignore them because the payoff in the end feels so genuine, real, and organic that it's worth overlooking the flaws. As long as you go into this one realizing that it isn't perfect, but is deserving of your time, you'll come away pleased and almost invigorated despite the ominous tone that stems from the possibility of the entire human race coming to an end.
While none of these vignettes prove detrimental individually to the film, when put together, they don't really amount to much. Despite the somewhat hollow feeling we have watching people act quirky despite their impending death, I still found myself completely interested in what was happening...and then the last thirty minutes of this movie come along and make everything that comes before it seem like it should have taken place in a completely different movie. There's a tonal shift that the director/screenwriter can't ever quite effectively mesh together. Both parts work individually, but they disappoint a bit when combined and we look at the movie as a whole.
It's a shame, really, because the final moments of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World were simply fantastic. The last scene will likely end up very high on my 2012 RyMickey Awards Best Scene category (posting soon in June). Admittedly, despite the distinct moods of the film, Ms. Scafaria does effectively create a relationship between Dodge and Penny. Credit for this connection certainly must be doled out to Steve Carell and Keira Knightley who seem like such an odd coupling that I had absolutely no desire to see this film in the first place. However, Carell in particular does some great work here. The film overall lands squarely in the "dramedy" category and Carell is able to play both the humor and pathos of Dodge quite admirably. It was also a pleasant surprise for Knightley to tackle the more comedic character of the duo. I look forward to seeing Carell pursue more dramatic work and Knightley taking on comedy if this film is any indication of their capabilities.
Yes, there are problems with Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, but I almost want you to ignore them because the payoff in the end feels so genuine, real, and organic that it's worth overlooking the flaws. As long as you go into this one realizing that it isn't perfect, but is deserving of your time, you'll come away pleased and almost invigorated despite the ominous tone that stems from the possibility of the entire human race coming to an end.
The RyMickey Rating: B-
I'd pretty much agree with all of this.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's boring!
No contention!
After the film ended, I so wanted to give this thing an 'A' or an 'A-'. I fact, I went back and watched the last five minutes over again.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the rest of the film can't match the ending which depresses me a little bit. However, it was much better than I expected.