Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) User Reviews

A peaceful way of looking at the apocalypse

[AfricanBro · 7/10 · 4 August 2021]

Ever since I started taking movies more seriously, I've never chosen a favorite one. And this, indubitably, isn't the best movie in the world or anything, but it is my favorite. I haven't seen anything like it, and it's been 9 years since it was made.

It's a completely new outlook to how movies tackle the end of the world. Instead of focusing on the chaos and hysteria that comes with the fear of inevitable death, it shows us two strangers and their search for love, albeit not in each other, so it leaves you wondering throughout the movie whether or not they're going to fall for each other or go their separate ways in the end.

The diversity in the supporting cast also deserves mention, with the exception of terror stricken characters, it shows you how different people would approach or react to the world ending, even though that's not exactly what the movie's about. Like any Armageddon film, there's people rioting, there's people shagging, there's people in bunkers but in this movie it's about those who're finding true love and connection. No volcanoes, earthquakes, meteor strikes or the like.

I find that it isn't one of those movies that everyone loves, but those who do love it dearly. Guess I can understand why someone wouldn't like it, but I don't think it's one you can hate. I think the movie isn't talked about as much because the year it was released was full of blockbuster movies. Every time i think of 2012 movies I think of The Dark Knight, the movie "2012", magic mike, 21st jump street or pitch perfect and the like... so this just swiftly went under the radar.

Brace yourself for impact...

[paul_haakonsen · 8/10 · 13 October 2012]

Actually I had expected this to be somewhat more of a comedy, but it turned out to be a much better experience than just another average comedy. "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" turned out to be a very beautiful and emotional movie, with just a pinch of great comedy added to spice it up.

The story is about the end of days approaching as an asteroid is bound for Earth, and will destroy the planet upon impact. Dodge (played by Steve Carell) finds himself abandoned by his wife upon this news and tries to go on with his life for the last 21 days before the world comes to end. He gets acquainted with a downstairs neighbor, Penny (played by Keira Knightley) whom he haven't talked with for the past 3 years of living in the same apartment building. These two very different spirits end up on a road trip together to get Dodge to his high school girlfriend and get Penny aboard an airplane for Great Britain. Their journey proves to be more than life changing.

The storyline for "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" was really great, and bizarre wonderful in a weird way. There is this whole gloomy downtrodden feel to it as people are trying to cope with coming to terms with life ending within 3 weeks. But at the same time, there is such a strong emotional journey taking place as we follow Dodge and Penny on their path to their destinations. The movie is driven by great characters and by superb acting. There is just the right amount of absurd and dark comedy to this movie that helps build up the right atmosphere.

I was genuinely surprised by this movie. I knew that it wouldn't be a horrible movie, because Steve Carell usually delivers great performances and do good comedy. But his deliverance in this movie was just phenomenal. He was so well-cast for this movie. As was Keira Knightley, and their chemistry on the screen was just sizzling.

The movie also boasts some rather great cameo appearances, all of whom really helped adding to the movie, by actors and actresses such as Rob Corddry, Patton Oswalt, William Petersen and, of course, Martin Sheen.

"Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" is a definite to-watch-movie for any movie aficionado, because it is very beautiful and moving in many ways. I am really happy that I sat down to watch this movie. And to top it off, this is the type of movie that leaves you with a parting gift, something to think about; what would you do if you only had 21 days left before the world ended?

Oh, and as a final note, if you are prone to tear in beautiful movies, you might keep a tissue at hand for the ending of this movie. Just a word of advice.

A quirky and enjoyable picture

[dbinks-569-934159 · 8/10 · 30 December 2012]

Watching an American picture about the end of the world and finding that there is no concentration on things blowing up and exploding came as a welcome relief if not a surprise.

This film is a little gem of a black comedy with some drama and romanticism thrown in.

I only recognised two or three faces - but everyone of the players is good and the two leads are superb. The male lead is of a character not usually associated with the romantic and this brings out more of the warmth.

Quirky, offbeat, lovable, zany and intelligent are some of the words I would use to describe this entertainment - and entertain it certainly does.

If this picture comes this way - grab it, you will love it.

So this is how it ends

[dtucker86 · 23 June 2012]

Armageddon, doomsday, the final apocalypse. Ever since the beginning of time man has wondered how it will all end. Another great flood, a nuclear war or in this case an asteroid. Filmmakers have always done their best to exploit this basic fear we have of the termination of our existence in movies like Fail Safe, On The Beach and The Day After. I put this film right up there with them because of the awesome performances of Steve Carell and Keira Knightley as our hero and heroine who we know are doomed from the start. I have always admired Carell as a comic (Get Smart, Date Night). However, he proves here that he can handle drama with the rest of them as does Knightley. They both have very powerful monologues in this film where they talk of their lonely lives. Its so ironic that they both find joy and love in life when they are on the very edge of death.

A first movie as director? One thump up!

[FrenchEddieFelson · 7/10 · 14 August 2019]

Despite the imminent approach of an ineluctable end of the world, the film oddly bathes in a soft and serene atmosphere, if we obviously ignore some people who behave with humor, for our greatest pleasure: I mow my lawn, I do body-building, I am looking for a new Chief Financial Officer, I'm ready with my all-male friends to repopulate the planet (this one is undoubtedly my favorite), I collect vinyls in a digitized world (this one might be controversial), ... and tutti quanti!

Dodge (Steve Carell) and Penny (Keira Knightley) meet by chance while they are long-time neighbors. They will quickly realize that they perfectly match to achieve together their ultimate quests: he seeks to revisit the love of his life that he has not seen for 18 years and she seeks to see her parents and her nephew again. During these two concomitant quests, despite a 1-generation gap, they will learn to know each other, to appreciate each other, to desire each other.

As a synthesis: this movie is based on two marvelous characters characterized by their empathy and their beneficence, within an atmosphere as odd as wacky. 7/8 of 10

A hard watch

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 20 November 2022]

Directed and written by Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers, the writer of Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist), this starts as Dodge Petersen (Steve Carell) and his wife Linda (Nancy Carell) learn that the asteroid Matilda is going to end all life on Earth. She abandons him and Dodge learns from his neighbor Penny (Keira Knightley) that the woman he's always obsessed over, Olivia, wrote to him all the time and she had so much of his mail -- over three year's worth -- including evidence that his wife had cheated on him. She's broken up with her boyfriend Owen (Adam Brody) when he ruins her last chance to get back to London to see her family one last time. Yet Dodge knows someone who can fly her. She just needs to get him back home -- along with a dog named Sorry that he wakes up and finds tied to his leg -- to his hometown in Delaware.

This is a hard movie for me to watch, as we fall in love with these two characters as they fall in love with one another as they struggle through the end of the world, knowing that they will not survive the end of the world. What helps is the supporting cast, including William Petersen, Patton Oswalt, Rob Corddry, Rob Huebel, Gillian Jacobs, Amy Schumer and Martin Sheen.

I enjoyed it yet I'm unsure if I could watch it again. It was just too much emotion for me and felt true and honest, unlike other movies that use the end of the world for dramatic effect.

Another good Steve Carell movie.

[dar0417 · 6/10 · 11 February 2020]

Another good Steve Carell movie. Very simple but entertaining movie about the end of the world.

Steve Carell and Keira Knightley better as Friends

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 24 August 2013]

An asteroid is coming to destroy the world. Dodge (Steve Carell) is left alone when his wife bolts out of their car and runs away from him. His sad suicidal final days are punctured by his neighbor Penny (Keira Knightley). They set off to find his old love and fly Penny back to her family in England.

Keira Knightley is the Manic Pixy Dream Girl here to save the down Steve Carell. Steve Carell starts off as a downer for a long time. It's always hard to be excited about a guy who's a downer. The road trip has some great parts but has some uneven moments as well. Keira Knightley is too young to have that final moment with Steve Carell. She is much better simply as a friend. Other than that, there is some fun.

Beautiful. Left Me Speechless and Overwhelmed.

[claymation8 · 10/10 · 24 March 2013]

I do not even know where to begin, so I'm just going to head into this review full steam ahead.

I sat staring at my iO screen for 20 minutes trying to decide between watching this - which I hadn't really heard any review from - and Celeste & Jesse Forever. Instinctively, I went with this; I clicked Order and hoped for the best.

This was by far the most moving film I have ever seen. To give you a quick synopsis, our protagonist, Dodge, teams up with the overly optimistic and happy-go-lucky Penny, a fellow apartment complex resident, to travel to his high school sweetheart's house to tie loose ends before the world comes to an apocalyptic close.

Steve Carell truly nailed his performance. The audience watches his random heartbreak, internal conflict, and journey to love. Other reviewers have stated the film was "dull" and "weak" - but those reviewers also admit to fast forwarding and getting up. If they were smart, they would've waited, because that is all part of the film's magic. As a viewer, I felt like in the first 15 minutes I was at a standstill. I felt like I didn't even know what I was watching, almost uncomfortable. I can now say that was done intentionally. How would we respond to hearing about the world, that we live in, ending in our near future? With dullness, stillness, and discomfort. The weakness is really a success on behalf of the filmmakers; the viewer is a character in this madness. Steve Carell strengthens this to new extremes.

Keira Knightley is stunning. In physicality, but more importantly, in her character, Penny. I was instantly in love with this free willed, uppity character who says no to nothing but stands for everything good in this world: risk, love, spontaneity. Her mixed conflict juggling guilt, confusion, and optimism is portrayed impeccably through Keira's teary-eyed, heartfelt performance is truly astonishing; her ability to make the viewer feel as if they know her and relate to her is so beautiful and overwhelming. Again, the filmmakers did a wonderful job making the viewer feel as in love with her as other characters in the story are.

With these two spot-on, PERFECTLY cast performances, and a phenomenal vintage soundtrack to top it all off, I was left crying multiple times. I kid you not, I am a 16 year old male, cries at basically nothing, and sobbed the last ten minutes of the movie and countless times throughout. I highly recommend this to anyone who understands the underlying beauty in our hectic lives, and appreciates the time to take a step back and realize that life is short - and we are the lucky ones. Love carries us through life, and it is in that state-of-being where we are most in touch with humanity.

Moved. Touched. Overwhelmed. I will never forget watching this movie for the first time.

What would you do with the rest of your life if you had limited time left? After seeing this, I will make every second count.

A drama often disguised as a comedy

[justahunch-70549 · 7/10 · 24 August 2022]

It's a mixed bag, but an enjoyable one, an odd comment about the apocalypse. It's a deadly serious subject matter filmed with all sorts of human daffiness. The actual funniest scene, and one that sets the tone, is at the very beginning between Steve Carell and his wife. Keira Knightley seems to be really enjoying herself without having to wear a corset and has a delightful scene with a police officer. He is downright depressing throughout, but Carell is the one actor/character who plays this to match the seriousness of the subject matter, something I assume the creators thought clever as he is the one true comedian here. Connie Britton, always good, is a delight in a small role. There are a lot of small performances that make this what it is including an unnamed character appropriately portrayed by Amy Schumer. It's certainly flawed and it's not for everyone, but it is unusual.

Fine and somewhat messy romantic comedy about the end of the world

[tecnogaming · 5/10 · 15 September 2012]

I am a fan of end of the world movies, be in the zombie genre, cataclysmic events or just romantic comedies like this one, you put a "END DATE" and I watch it. With that comment, I start my review.

The movie starts violently fast, from the first moment of the announcement. Seeing as the movie starts like this, I was prepared for a hell of a ride but I was shocked at the sudden change in pace in the second and third act.

Steve Carrell does an appropriate job at representing a somewhat sad guy who really doesn't care too much about his own happiness and Keira does a much better job with emotions for a messy girl who has to live the end of the world alone. The two meet in random circumstances and all seems to be well placed and with good timing, it doesn't seem forced at all, but the movie make somewhat a big mistake with the way it handled the whole situation.

See, the movie is plagued with dialog, in fact, the majority of the dialog is very "light" for a such a big event. Characters behave very normally the majority of the time and they don't seemed shocked, at least not up until the last moment and that for me, takes away a lot of important aspects of the circumstances they are in that could gone a lot better.

The movie really slows down in the second act, up to the point of being somewhat repetitive and the dialog is way too much for something as important as the end of the world.

It turns from an end of the world movie to just a "road movie" for the vast majority of the time.

Director seems to get a lot more attention to dialog than emotions and images, so, for me, this takes a lot away from my personal interest.

See, I don't consider dialog that important in a movie, because images, expressions and looks, they tend to represent a much more important aspect of emotions between characters, something the director does not want or does not know how to properly show.

There are a couple of some very special moments, funny enough, they worked because they stop talking... when they just look each other, the movie simply works, you can actually feel the connection between them, there is chemistry here!, but again, the director had gone to pure dialog, which fills too much space in the movie and takes away that special feeling of those two characters falling in love.

In the end, this movie could had been reduced to just 1 hour and it should had been great, it is very toned down to be "light" and that takes away the tension. The build up to the event is great in the last minutes and it is handled perfectly good because of the silence (which works a lot better than the dialog) but the ending feels a little cheap and left a sour taste in my mouth, even when it is a happy ending.

Anyway, the movie could had been so much more than it is. See it as a warm/light romantic comedy, don't expect profound questions about life or be shocked with deep emotions, just a fine comedy.

I didn't saw the original Last Night (1998) which this movie suppose to replicate in a different fashion but I am sure I will watch it now.

5 out of 10 for getting short on the tension/emotional factor and for being just a light comedy.

Impending Doom With a Side of Honey

[D_Burke · 9/10 · 21 June 2012]

Everyone knows about the calm that happens before the storm. In "Seeking A Friend for the End of the World", what's amazing is just how long that calm lasts.

Throughout the first part of this film, you can't help but wonder, as you watch, how you would react if you heard nonchalant reports on radio and TV about a 70-mile wide asteroid heading for Earth and destroying life as we know it. Would you seek refuge in a fallout shelter and hope for the best, or say "To hell with it!" and do all the things you couldn't do when there was established order with a purpose?

Dodge (Steve Carell) seems to find a third option no one else even tries to consider: sitting calmly and maintaining his own order as virtually everyone else is participating in an orgy or a riot. While being calm works for him as a survival instinct, it also reflects his loneliness. The more people surrounding him, the lonelier he seems.

Very similar to Bill Murray's character in "Lost In Translation", Carell is great at conveying so much despite doing so little. It becomes all the more fascinating when he's the only character in the movie who does not throw caution into the wind. After all, would you be this calm if the world was going to end?

Keira Knightley is Penny, a vibrant but distraught British woman who lives in the same building as Dodge. She appears one night outside his window, and is frantically crying after her realization that she can't fly back home to Great Britain to see her family. Knightley serves as a great contrast to Carell in many ways, and she is a welcome presence in this movie. And I am SO glad the film didn't try to cover her sweet British accent.

The film evolves into a sort of road-trip movie when a riot ensues outside their apartment building, and Dodge persuades Penny to drive to Somerset, Delaware because he knows someone who owns an airplane. As it turns out, Dodge also had a high school girlfriend who wrote to him a few months earlier, before his wife left him.

Sounds like a familiar journey from another movie? Well, "Seeking A Friend For The End of the World" takes you in one direction you think you're going, and then often makes a sharp left when you least expect it. The movie is also funnier than the title suggests, has some startling moments I never saw coming nor expected, and keeps you watching for many reasons.

Is there a love story between Dodge and Penny? Like the recent "Salmon Fishing In The Yemen" (2012), you find yourself unsure if the two main characters should fall in love, or if there is at least a little attraction, or if it really makes any difference.

There are other things you wonder while watching this movie. Most notably, is the world really going to end? Everyone in this movie seems to think so. While it's fascinating to see how different characters react to the news, you keep watching because you want to see if it really does. It can't be a dream or a delusion, can it?

It's great that in a summer season of action flicks and disaster films, there's one film that takes its time showing how ordinary people react to extraordinary things. There's an asteroid headed towards Earth, but there are no explosions, deaths, astronauts, superheroes, or even (surprisingly) camera shots of the sky in this movie whatsoever. Moviegoers who hated "Armageddon" (1998) will be relieved, I'm sure.

Besides Carell and Knightley, other fairly well-known actors show up so briefly, their appearances could practically be considered cameos. Still, every performance by everyone involved stays with you to the point where you probably pinpoint one character and say, "Yeah, I'd probably be THAT guy given the circumstances". As the doomsday clock counts down and the movie ends, you may find yourself reevaluating what you want the last image in your mind to be before it's all over.

A good yet a little messy genre shakeup with strong performances

[Movie_Muse_Reviews · 6/10 · 24 June 2012]

After vampires, movie studios these days love the apocalypse (or at least an alien invasion that could bring it about), so it was a matter of time before we started to get different riffs on Armageddon. "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" brings doomsday into romantic comedy territory and the resulting story has all kinds of notes, from humorous to romantic to downright dramatic.

It's a mess of moods fitting of the apocalypse, even if we prefer our films to be more uniform in their genres. Lorene Scafaria (writer of "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist") tries to stitch them all together in her directorial debut, and while the seams could be less apparent, "Seeking a Friend" makes solid patchwork of some strong individual scenes and performances.

Who better to lead a film about literally hopeless romance than Steve Carell, whose character Dodge watches as his wife (a cameo by Carell's actual wife, Nancy) bolts from the car and runs away forever as soon as Earth's prognosis hits the radio. Thus begins Act I, the comedy portion of the film.

Scafaria does a conscientious job imagining how affluent 40-somethings as well as other types would react knowing the world was set to end in three weeks time. Dodge tries initially to keep some sense of decorum by going to his job at an insurance company where the 10 remaining employees gather perfunctorily and the job of CFO is up for grabs. His cleaning lady continues to come and clean. His friends (among them a couple hilarious small roles from Rob Cordry and Patton Oswalt) try to keep up appearances, but boundaries of taste and fidelity have virtually faded. Dodge resists letting conventions dissolve into nothing, though he's far from optimistic. That's where Penny comes in.

Penny (Keira Knightley) is a self-proclaimed serial monogamist and eternal optimist who's rather harsh on herself. She and Dodge have been neighbors, though only through recent have they come together. As it turns out, Penny has much of Dodge's misplaced mail, and when she returns it, he finds a letter from his high school sweetheart — the one that got away — expressing how she always felt he was the love of her life. When riots break out in the city overnight, Dodge decides to wake Penny up and flee town with her, and when they do, she encourages Dodge to try and track down his biggest regret.

When the road trips starts, the comedy element of the film lingers, but the trajectory is romance and drama with some lighthearted moments interspersed. Scafaria at least spares us a cheesy build up as far as Dodge and Penny's chemistry, so the romance doesn't spoil everything with predictability. In fact, much of the film you're likely to root for Dodge finding his old flame just to see what happens.

The comedy is quite brilliant when it's there, so it's a shame Scafaria abandons it. At the same time, the choice seems natural for a movie taking place right before Armageddon, especially one that's end game is definitely romance. Carell and Knightley need a chance to interact one-on-one in order for the whole thing to work.

Both actors are excellent, with Knightley infusing some actual dramatic talent into the kind of movie you would never expect her to do with her period piece background. She and Carell get a wide range of moments to play with and they bring the heart and emotion to the film. It's tough to say if two random actors would've produced as believable a connection and chemistry.

At the same time, for all their prowess, some scenes feel strangely out of place as far as tone. On at least two occasions, Penny begins to cry, and while Knightley really sells us on it (you honestly believe her in a scene in which she is finally able to phone home and talk to her family one last time), but the waterworks are squeezed in. I wouldn't doubt that this would happen in a real-life apocalyptic scenario, but in a movie it's awkward. It ultimately makes Penny's motivations (which should be very clear-cut with the world about to end) a little convoluted.

"Seeking a Friend" finds moments of utmost sincerity and wrestles with some intriguing notions such as whether or not our instincts for partnership would or would not be heightened in a doomsday scenario. As a whole, it offers film's most realistic look to date at how normal people would behave in this situation, yet as the romantic and dramatic elements build, some character motivations and feelings come into question, even though the actors are so convincing.

Boiled down, "Seeking a Friend" offers a true change of pace for the genre led by two strong actors you'd never expect to work together. Maybe that's part of why it's tough to completely get on board with what's going on with the characters emotionally, though there's little doubt they elevate the material. And it's strong material too, but the entire package could have been neater.

~Steven C

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Keira Knightley wrecks this film

[jacquescracker · 4/10 · 29 November 2012]

Most people watching this from the UK would be irritated beyond belief by Keira Knightley after just a few minutes like I was. I found it impossible to concentrate on the film with her strange performance, I'm not sure if she was happy to play a stereotypical US view of a Brit but she certainly obliged. Not only that but she made sure all the Americanisms stayed in her dialogue to go with it. Not many people I know refer to petrol as 'gas' for example and thats just for starters, to be honest I found myself switching off after a while. Carell is very flat in this too, miscast maybe. Not a good film at all, could have been good with a different cast maybe.

The movie has heart and elicited real emotion from me.

[DUKEJBM · 23 June 2012]

There really isn't one aspect of the actual events of this story that isn't some kind of spoiler, the less known the better. It's better to watch this thing completely fresh. That's how I saw it and it made the experience far better it would seem. Without getting in to detail, the story itself starts off bizarre and it seems like they simply picked the wrong subject to try and make a dramedy about. Yet, getting to know and sympathize with Carell's character is what flat out makes the film. Keira Knightley is wonderful and this is probably the best thing I've ever seen her do.

The overall tone fights itself a LOT as it jumps from the morose to the absurd to events that just aren't logical. Still, since no one has faced the end of the world, what exactly is logical? They did respectfully touch on the aspect of faith but it struck me more that they went out of their way to avoid the subject for the most part. To me, that's playing it way too safe. They did that a lot with many subjects that you would expect to come up in an end of days film. Overall, the movie has heart and elicited real emotion from me.

Is Showing the World's End Really Necessary?

[Chris_Pandolfi · 7/10 · 22 June 2012]

"Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" is nowhere near as funny as it has been made to seem, which actually works in its favor. The film is at its best when it veers away from the broad, strained humor prominently featured in the ads, none of which make it clear that only about a third of the final product is being represented. What you're not being shown is an intelligent and surprisingly moving story of two emotionally damaged people and the healing they receive by being in each other's lives. Yes, it's set against the backdrop of an asteroid's impending collision with Earth, but that doesn't mean that the film is depressing or nihilistic. If anything, it reaffirms the value of life and instills the belief that the simple act of being kind and making someone happy gives us meaning.

Most of the more overt jokes are reserved for the opening segments, the weakest the film has to offer. During the course of its rather shaky start, we see a man encouraging a four- or five-year-old girl to chug down a martini, Keira Knightley and Adam Brody having a very non- communicative relationship argument as they run away from a rioting mob, a trucker mistaking Knightley and Steve Carell for the assassins he hired to kill him, and a Knightley and Carell having dinner at a restaurant where it seems that everyone, including the very gay maître'd, is on ecstasy. While I do believe the film needed a touch of wit, at no point did it have to be this insistent. The heavy-handed verbal and physical gags are strained and unbecoming, suggesting that writer/director Lorene Scafaria initially had no faith in her own idea.

But then, gradually, the defensive layers peel away, and we see the more compelling story underneath. Carell plays Dodge Petersen, whose wife literally runs away from him after it's announced on the radio that the mission to destroy a rapidly approaching asteroid with a laser has failed. Being alone for the end of days puts him in a depression the likes of which no hedonistic acts can get him out of. But then he meets his downstairs neighbor, Penny Lockhart (Knightley), a young woman who never quite got her life together and feels incredibly guilty for leaving her family back in Surrey, England. She lost her chance to go back following the complete termination of all commercial flights. A bit spacey, a passionate vinyl album collector, and an astoundingly heavy sleeper, she's currently in an on again/off again relationship with her boyfriend, Owen (Brody), who truly is clueless.

She and Dodge take those initial steps towards friendship over a picture of Dodge's high school sweetheart, the girl that got away. Dodge and Penny strike a deal: If she can get help him find his lost love, he can get her to someone that owns a plane and can fly her to her family. The more they travel, the more they reveal themselves. I will not delve into every detail of their pasts; the less you know about them beforehand, the more you will appreciate what they say to each other. I will say that the conversations between Dodge and Penny are a pleasure to listen to because of the humanity Scafaria infuses them with. We hear a mixture of regret, anger, and confusion, but we also hear consolation, understanding, resignation, and yes, even joy. There's really no way of knowing how you would feel or what you would want to talk about under this particular set of circumstances, but from a purely emotional perspective, this feels right.

There's a brief subplot involving one of Penny's ex-boyfriends, a militant survivalist named Speck (Derek Luke), who has a titanium-walled fallout shelter stocked with guns, gas masks, and potato chips. Although his fate remains a mystery, he makes several thought-provoking, if cruel and incredibly unfair, points about the potential continuation of the human species and where Penny fits into that. We're left to wonder whether or not he truly believes in her ability to survive; it's quite possible he's simply trying to win her back before it's too late. Speck proves to be helpful by lending Penny and Dodge one of his fuel efficient cars, enabling them to complete their journey and find Dodge's old flame.

The Rotten Tomatoes consensus on "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" expresses disappointment over the final act. This is an opinion I'm admittedly baffled by. Exactly how did the naysayers want this movie to end? Did they really need to see a montage of glorious destruction, i.e. flashy special effects? If it had nothing to do with that, then what was it about the emotional climax between Knightley and Carell that was lacking? Because their characters are the focus of the film, and because it's about reestablishing a connection with someone you care about, I frankly don't see how it could have ended any other way. Everything that needed to be said was actually said, and no more. I think some of us are too conditioned to expect more than is necessary from a narrative resolution.

-- Chris Pandolfi (www.atatheaternearyou.net)

Well acted vs chemistry

[soundstormmusic · 6/10 · 5 January 2022]

This movie is nice but you need more than nice to end up with something great.

The plot is good and the start is fun. The pacing is good and the combination of dialogue and action is balanced well. Towards the end however, the action dies down and in return there's more dialogue and a couple of poor decisions.

The biggest poor decision is the love story that's here. I won't spoil much, but it's save to say that there were a myriad of options for the ending that I would've enjoyed more.

All in all not bad, not great, just good.

Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World...3 out of 4 Skittles

[FilmStallion · 7/10 · 6 September 2012]

What would you do if you only had a few weeks to live? Find a lost love, search for a religion, commit every delectable sin you have always denied yourself? These are the questions tossed out in Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World.

Carell and Knightley are the kind of neighbors who live in the same building but have never spoken to each other, but that all changes as a world destroying asteroid speeding towards Earth reluctantly forces the two lost souls together. Carell is solid as always playing the straight man sad bastard (see Little Miss Sunshine or Crazy Stupid Love) to Knightley's cute and quirky counterpart. Both of their lives are in ruin...even without the impending world doom. The two actors make an excellent tandem playing off each other's strengths, and bring out the best in those around them.

The movie is crammed with tons of great cameos. Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine), Patton Oswalt (Young Adult), William Peterson (CSI), Adam Brody (The O.C.), Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men), Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), Mark Moses (Mad Men), Rob Huebel (The Descendants), Gillian Jacobs (Community), T.J. Miller (Cloverfield), Derek Luke (Pieces of April) and the legendary Martin Sheen. It's amazing to see how so many actors could drop into the story and leave their mark without affecting the film's pace. Major props to writer/director Lorene Scafaria who also worked wonders on 2008's underrated Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.

Seeking A Friend is not your typical Armageddon movie. It's not a story about the U.S. government and NASA teaming up together to develop a master plan to save the world. It's a story about the end, and the questions we would be faced with if all were lost. What would you do if you knew your days were numbered? Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World poses a few possibilities and leaves you walking out of the theater thinking.

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Going down happily.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 18 September 2012]

What to expect from a comedy about the end of world? Well, nothing too cheerful or uplifting you would expect but actually the movie in fact does manage to feel like a positive and uplifting one, which perhaps was the biggest surprise about the movie.

I never expected much good from this movie but it surprised me, in a positive manner. It was better written than I anticipated and the comedy and drama elements were all balanced out well and effectively enough. It's not a movie that shall depress you and it ain't one that shall make you laugh out loud either. It's a more cute and subtly done movie, that still goes over-the-top with certain situations but manages to feel like a warm and honest, realistic movie, involving some likable characters. Not everything works out and some stuff does indeed feel a bit redundant or tends to let the movie drag a little but overall as a whole the movie still works out very well.

No, you don't have to be a big Steve Carell at all to enjoy this movie. It's definitely a more straight comical role by him and this movie demonstrates that he can handle drama just as well. Vice versa this is also being the case for Keira Knightley. She demonstrates she can play a slightly more comical character than usual and as a matter of fact, she is actually playing more of a comical character than Steve Carell. It's not a movie that will win them any big awards but both actors most definitely did a capable job and are a big part of the reason why the movie works out effectively, with both its drama and comedy.

It's a movie that is being very honest and straightforward with its subjects. It doesn't try to bloom anything, or pretend that there still is a glimmer of hope for the movie its main characters. The world is going to end in just a couple of days, it's as simple as that and the movie focuses on what people would do during the last days of their lives, knowing that the end is near. And this is actually were the movie its warmth comes from. You could even say this is being a feel good movie, as strange as that may sound.

It was a real accomplishment that this movie felt like an uplifting one. Perhaps it's also due to it that is simply embraces its main premise, from the very first seconds on already. What follows is a movie that never gets too heavy with any of its drama and never to goofy with any of its comedy. It's really well balanced, all throughout the entire movie, making "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" a surprisingly good movie to watch.

7/10

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Watch this before it's too late

[SteveMierzejewski · 9/10 · 7 October 2012]

It's rare that I rate a movie this highly. No doubt many will disagree with this rating and I admit to having some doubts myself. I had to ignore the fact that Keira Knightly was miscast in the role of Dodge's (Steve Carell) friend, Penny. As I've mentioned in other reviews, she always seems to be overacting. This may be a personal thing as I'm sure others are enthralled by her work. Martin Sheen is not convincing as Dodge's father. The plot has some problematic moments.

These negatives aside, this is a movie driven by a compelling idea: What would you do if you had only three weeks to live? Well, some resort to taking drugs, others to sex, and others to suicide. Some persevere with dignity to the end. The absurdity of life and the value of death is highlighted, as strange as this may sound. Death puts life into its proper perspective. On the surface, this film has many elements of a romantic comedy and some may dismiss it as such. But look past the surface of this film and you will begin to appreciate it much more.

Of course, we are all facing the end of our own worlds, maybe not in three weeks or en masse, as is portrayed here, but through our individual mortality. Would you continue to work out, visit your dentist, or mow the lawn if you knew it was all soon coming to an end? Basically, the film looks at what in life is truly important. What is worth living for? Who would you want to spend those last moments with and why aren't you spending time with them now? Because this movie brings such existential topics into focus, I think it deserves an above average rating. Don't think of this as a grim, realistic look at life. There is a good deal of humor here. You'll have a few laughs, which, I believe, help to highlight the film's more serious elements.

My opinion of Steve Carrell has been on the rise ever since he starred in Dan in Real Life. In Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, he plays the role of a down and out loser to perfection.

In short, if you are seeking a movie to watch with a friend, this should be your choice. You'll have much to discuss afterwards. It may even make you re-evaluate what you have accepted as being important. Time is, after all, running out.

Teeters On The Brink Of Pretty Damn Good

[Cinnyaste · 7/10 · 19 October 2012]

As prophesied by some, the end of the world is December 22nd, 2012. Thus a dearth of films focusing on these final days. In the case of "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," it's a massive, looming asteroid about a month out.

This film is a wide swath of response to the really, really bad news. There's the expected break down of society, wild abandon into drugs, alcohol and sex, but "Seeking..." also offers a peek into those peacefully accepting their fate with dignity while still mowing the lawn or, duty-bound, to cleaning a home days before the impact. The dichotomy tracks from a first half heavy on the comedy (a stop at a still-open chain restaurant is a hoot), light on the drama and then ever so gently flips. Predictably, the track starts in the city and leads to the country which furthers the misconception bumpkins hold the trump in dignified behavior.

Steve Carrell, with his understated deadpan, forwards the plot admirably. Near the film's coda while listening to The Walker Brother's "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" he lies down in abject emotional pain. The response to this scene was highly personal, but the heartbreaking performance is Carrell's finest minute on film.

Keira Knightley is a flaky, pothead neighbor going along on a contrived road trip: he to reach a long lost soulmate, she to a plane to reach her family. Ms. Knightley tries real hard (as does Carrell), but the chemistry with him fizzles. Their on screen near miss, in a romance with intense turns, is a major disappointment.

That "Seeking..." took a few chances is the elevation of an otherwise tired plot. Conversely, taking only a few chances is a deflation. There are two films within: one hackneyed end-of-the-world RomCom and a thought provoking meditation about how people face death. The mash-up nearly works brilliantly.

"Seeking..." is an enjoyable yet sometimes frustrating film. (A scene with Carrell attempting to heal with Dad, Martin Sheen, is incredibly awkward.) Someone spoke, "I'll take this over big budget fare like 'Batman' or 'The Avengers'." There's much to be said for the simplicity of that critique.

With elements of comedy and serious drama, "Seeking..." will neither completely satisfy those sniffing for laughs nor appease those digging for a meaning. While sometimes quite clever and mind-numbingly familiar, if given a chance "Seeking..." might entertain.

Disappointing

[name99-92-545389 · 5/10 · 26 March 2015]

This is your average "two broken people find each other" movie. Unfortunately that's ALL it is. If you like that sort of thing, fine, but I was really hoping the backdrop of the impending end of the world would be explored in a lot more detail.

Instead it might as well not be there. Remove the apocalypse and practically nothing about the movie changes. I don't need to watch ninety minutes to learn that the way most people will handle such a situation will be to find someone to fall in love with. I didn't expect a documentary on "This is the way the world ends", and I certainly didn't want an action flick; but I was hoping for some sort of unusual and interesting insights into how people and society might behave under the circumstances. But I didn't see a thing that you wouldn't get on an episode of Family Feud: "name five clichés of how people will behave when the world is about to end".

Seeking a Film for the End of the Week?

[stephrenee-385-451528 · 9/10 · 28 June 2012]

We've seen dramatic and extreme post-apocalyptic thrillers almost as many times as we've survived the Rapture, and it is hard to imagine that anyone can interpret the theme in a way that would make a movie more enjoyable. However, none of the previous films starred Steve Carrell or stayed completely in the pre-apocalyptic world. As it turns out, these two facts make a huge difference.

Dodge (Carrell) learns that nothing can be done to prevent the imminent destruction of the world while in the car with his wife, Linda (Nancy Carrell, formerly Nancy Walls and hilarious without saying a word). Linda then literally runs away, and so begins the story of Dodge's terrible misfortune. He is a modern-day adult version of Charlie Brown – likable, but not extraordinary in any sense except for his ability to attract sadness. Seeking then shows how everyone else is coping with the news, and Dodge doesn't seem very interested in surfing, sex, or suicide, so he just meanders through the madness sipping his cough syrup. He probably would have done that for the entire three weeks left of his life were it not for a his neighbor Penny (Keira Knightley), a flighty girl trying to get a flight back to her family in England. The two escape a riot (and Penny's loser boyfriend, perfectly played by Adam Brody) and set out on an adventure so that Dodge can say goodbye to his high school sweetheart and Penny can get to England by way of Dodge's friend who owns a plane.

The commercials portray this film as more of a comedy, and it is delightfully funny in some spots, but this film is far more emotionally and intellectually stimulating than it is amusing. I remember thinking at the end of 2005's War of the Worlds, "I wish they had spent more time focusing on humanity." The human experience of facing the end of life is so complex and so unique to every individual, and Director Loren Scafaria succeeds in showing the despair, decadence, and delusions that people would definitely be wrapped up in were this to occur in real life.

Carrell is brilliant as usual with his effortless self-effacing humor. He seems to have worked on his deadpan skills as his funniest moments include reacting to crazy events with a blank stare or monotone comment. Knightley manages to be an effervescent and bubbly realist without being annoying, which makes Penny a completely plausible running buddy for Dodge, who can't take much more agitation. These two stars have a chemistry that allows Dodge to come out of his shell and live the last days of his life the way he wished he had lived all along. A few people live in less inspiring ways to awesome comedic effect. Elsa, Dodge's housekeeper, still diligently comes to clean his house and even instructs him to get more "Windows" while shaking a nearly empty bottle of glass cleaner. Warren (fellow Daily Show alum Rob Corddry) celebrates the end of responsibility by boozing it up and sharing his drinks freely, even with little kids. These scenes, however, are merely distractions from how Dodge and Penny learn more than they ever imagined about life and the world simply because it is all coming to an end. Despite the hokey-ness, I must admit that I got teary-eyed as the characters realized what matters most.

Focus Features does a great job of producing equally thought-provoking and heartstring-pulling films and Seeking is no exception. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and with any luck, you'll leave the theater thankful that you most likely have more than three weeks to make the most of your life.

Starts off brilliantly, then falls into rom-com sludge

[TheMarwood · 6/10 · 10 June 2014]

The first 45 minutes are anarchic, witty and spectacularly inspired. An asteroid is going to wipe out all of humanity and sends people into hilarious bad behavior and ambivalence toward their impending doom. Then the film trades in its aggressive dark comedy for a cutesy romance that practically derails the whole film. In fact for a good portion of the middle act,it's a generic rom-com that ignores its own premise. Keira Knightley's character is an irritating quirky type that comes across demented when that's obviously not the intention and spending the remainder of the running time with her is suffocating. It's a shame the film lost its way after a great first act, because this could have been a classic, as opposed to just forgettable.

Seeking a Better Movie for this Concept (or go rent Joe Versus The Volcano)

[james-t-sheridan · 5/10 · 1 July 2012]

Shame on the director. A promising concept of imminent apocalypse which could be mined for great humor and pathos results in a messy road trip romance film with either miscast lead actors or just severe lack of chemistry, a sloppy script, and an avoidance of nearly everything that might make such a scenario interesting, funny, or terrifying.

It's the end of the world as they know it, and everyone does not feel fine. People react differently to the news that the asteroid that will incinerate all is headed towards earth in three weeks, and the final space mission could not deflect it from its path (I guess Bruce Willis and the Armageddon-crew failed). In the inspired opening shot, Dodge (Steve Carell) listens, transfixed and unemotional, to the broadcast on his car radio; Nancy, his wife (played by Carell's real-life wife), opens the door and runs off into the night without saying a word. Dodge slouches towards destruction, returning to his apartment, sticking to his routine. As the asteroid approaches, Dodge's cleaning lady keeps showing up to work, confused by Dodge's attempt to tell her that her services won't be needed. Dodge remains one of the few workers left at his insurance company, answering distressed calls, throwing up into his garbage can, and enduring quasi-hilarious staff meetings of five people where a supervisor asks, "Anyone want to be a CFO?" Dodge fights traffic. Dodge attends apocalyptic parties with his friends who curse at each other and their children, press young children into drinking martinis and shots, do heroin as a bucket list item, and clumsily throw themselves at each other. Nothing seems to wake Dodge out of his torpor.

A jolt arrives when Dodge's unknown neighbor Penny (Keira Knightley) cries on the fire escape outside of his apartment, seemingly trapped in a contentious relationship, and struggling because she has missed the last trans-Atlantic flight home to her loving parents in Surrey, England. Dodge's attempt to comfort her results in a hug and an establishment of trust:"I won't rob you if you agree not to rape me," offers Penny, and Dodge agrees. As it turns out, she has been collecting his mail and has a letter from the woman who got away, his high school love; her hoarding of his mail has resulted in him not getting the letter which seems to intimate that there is a possibility of reconnection. Anarchy erupts on their street below, and as Dodge and Penny escape on a road trip, he agrees to find her a flight home to die with her family if she helps him find his lost love (I guess because she has the car?). Seeking a Friend for the End of the World then turns into a road trip movie.

My problems with this film are myriad. It squanders two excellent actors (as well as a supporting cast of note) by giving them very little to do. Knightley is especially egregious as I found her performance as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (a term coined by AV Club writer Nathan Rabin to describe this particular archetype) increasingly annoying and unlikable. But, let's not give Steve Carell a pass, who seems to have taken his career and tried to turn it into latter- day Bill Murray with less is more, somnolent, increasingly depressing performances. His arc is even more frustrating, and his performance is ultimately a misfire. The screenplay is wildly inconsistent with titanic rifts between characters healed in less than two minutes of screen time as well as unexplained plot points and clichéd dialogue. The streets that they travel (New Jersey by way of California? Camden has never looked this nice!) are remarkably unlittered and free of looters or those without cars who would want to take their car. And this film is just free of people. Where are all the people? Is everyone at the beach? Does everyone has access to underground bunkers? Are churches overflowing? What is the government's position? Where is the president? Too many questions like these are not even considered in this film.

I wish that director Lorene Scafaria had committed to a darker or funnier vision for this film, one of anarchic moments and unconventional pairings of characters and philosophies. Is it wrong to expect someone in a film about the end of the world to consider (even if it is to ultimately ignore or reject) faith? It is it wrong to consider that some people will use the remaining days to destroy and take whatever they want? (Case in point: the scene in Steven Soderbergh's Contagion where Matt Damon's character watches thieves break into his neighbor's house is infinitely more chilling and real than anything in this film.) Is it wrong to want either character, Dodge or Penny, to exist beyond the confines of a screenplay? Instead, there's a sappy, clichéd film that cheats its audience out of potentially rich and moving scenarios and an adult exploration of how people would approach their imminent destruction. He's dodging life, and she's his lucky penny? Really?

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World might have been a better movie if it focused on the dog tied to Dodge's leg. For my money, I'd rent Joe Verus The Volcano with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan for a similarly themed, but much more well-executed, moving, and funny story about the end of one man's world. Dodge this one.