Seeking a Friend for the End of the… Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
2012 Directed by Lorene Scafaria
Synopsis
Nice knowing you.
As an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart. Accompanying him is a neighbor who inadvertently puts a wrench in his plan.
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Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.45
So I'm in state of complete and utter confusion.
I really don't like Mrs. Knightly as an artist and I think Mr. Carell is sometimes funny, but mostly mediocre. Yet I absolutely loved them in this film and I for the life of me don't know why.
After the first scene I knew I wasn't watching a comedy. It has some light, off beat humour varied with some less subtle attempt at comedy, sure, but that's not what it's about. To me, this was about the budding of a connection between two people in a desperate situation. I liked the fact that it didn't make the approaching Apocalypse the star of the film.…
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Lorene Scafaria’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is an astonishingly warm and moving romantic dramedy, a stirringly hopeful tale despite the ominous subject matter. This is such a pleasant surprise since I was expecting nothing more than a wacky Steve Carell romp, yet out of the blue here’s a genuine, pathos-filled performance from the comedian. To be honest the only reason why this tickled my fancy in the first place is the casting of Britain’s finest, I’m talking about the great Keira Knightley—in my opinion, the best working actress below the age of thirty today—and she’s loverly as always. But the film is a lot more special than that. It undergoes a transformation mirroring the relationship…
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Originally gave this a 7. On rewatching I can't help but feel like thats under-rating it. Steve Carell puts up the best performance of his life. Straight up. This story is gut wrenchingly sad, while at the same time tossing witty, kitsch-y humor at you from start to finish. The soundtrack is spot-on, and its entertaining all the way through.
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I loathed Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, the last film written by Lorene Scafaria, so I can’t say this was high on my watchlist even if a pre-apocalyptic comedy did at least sound more appealing. The result is a mixed bag to say the least. There are some things about the film that showed promise, particularly the fact it attempted to blend so many genres from sentimental romance, existential road movie and end of the world nihilism, but it rarely finds a successful balance.
The early going is rather safe and predictable, setting up a world where people throw out convention and their inhibitions (such as a middle class dinner party with added heroin). Whilst the jokes may be rather…
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Film #38 of No Rewatch November
How much is it going to suck when it turns out that December 21st of this year is actually the end of the world. Everyone in this film gets a three week heads up, and thus they are able to act accordingly. I'm going to be working and doing finals over the next few weeks, and if December 21st is the end, that's definitely not how I would want to spend my remaining weeks. No, if I knew with a certainty that December 21st was the end, I would be hitting up Costco and maxing out my credit card on Doritos, chicken wings, live wires, taquitos, pot stickers, and Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Then…
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This is an apocalyptic drama with a sense of reality. Approaching the end of the world scenario in a humanistic and somewhat believable way, the film focuses on missed opportunities, reconciliations, apocalyptic sex (because let's face it, we all would), and the need for somebody to share the experience with. Steve Carell and Keira Knightley make an unlikely leading duo but nonetheless their coupling really works and even brings in a sense of emotional engagement. Carell is his typical comedic but serious-when-needs-be self, whilst Knightley brings something new to her stereotype, giving a more modern yet still raw performance. Concluding in the sweetest way it possibly could, there's one scene especially that brings a tear to the eye. Avoiding any horrible over-the-top situations that would ruin the moment, although some are included purely for comedic value, it's just a lovely film.
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The film is based on the premise that the world will be ending in three weeks... unfortunately the film, at points, felt like it was in real time.
Far too slow.
Far too little chemistry between the leads.
Far too few reasons to care about it all.Spoiler - the comet wins.
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19th film of the Madness June challenge
First time I watched Knightly in a movie was in Atonement, and at that time I was rather impressed. Unfortunately, for me, she has never been on the same level, with a jaw-dropping (pun intended) negative climax in A dangerous method.
She didn't convince me here either, neither did Carell. The chemistry between these two is unfindable.
It isn't a true disaster, but it's not something to write home about. -
Enjoyable but the shifts in tone are a little too jarring to really love the film completely. Steve Carell and Keira Knightley do play off each other nicely though and the supporting cast is strong.
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Lorene Scafaria’s Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is an astonishingly warm and moving romantic dramedy, a stirringly hopeful tale despite the ominous subject matter. This is such a pleasant surprise since I was expecting nothing more than a wacky Steve Carell romp, yet out of the blue here’s a genuine, pathos-filled performance from the comedian. To be honest the only reason why this tickled my fancy in the first place is the casting of Britain’s finest, I’m talking about the great Keira Knightley—in my opinion, the best working actress below the age of thirty today—and she’s loverly as always. But the film is a lot more special than that. It undergoes a transformation mirroring the relationship…
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Didn't think I would like this going in but it was a bit different than I thought it would be. I enjoyed the interaction between Carell and Knightly. Actors that I had a hard time imagining working together but it worked. Some of the story was a bit corny but overall I liked the movie.
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The world will end in exactly three weeks, nothing can stop it. There will be an apocalypse. This is the premise for Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World, a film that focuses on the impending tragedy that will soon strike the earth. People desperately try to find their families, either to hug them or tell them to “fuck off” in the case of one of the film’s small characters, all fearing the impending apocalypse. The film begins with our protagonist Dodge, played by the pure talent of Steve Carell, as the situation is declared and his wife gets up and leaves him. Immediately we are connected, yet concerned for our characters as to how they will handle…
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A non-committal grade for a non-committal movie; I can't decide if its lack of interest in its own seemingly obligatory quirks (Knightley toting around her favorite records, or the small dog hoisted on Carell) is a refreshing subtlety or a gesture of self-boredom.
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Originally gave this a 7. On rewatching I can't help but feel like thats under-rating it. Steve Carell puts up the best performance of his life. Straight up. This story is gut wrenchingly sad, while at the same time tossing witty, kitsch-y humor at you from start to finish. The soundtrack is spot-on, and its entertaining all the way through.
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I don't know why I liked this movie so much. It was definitely flawed but... I found myself very charmed by this. It reminded me of Dan in Real Life in that I just think I really like Steve Carrell and really like him in likeable sad sack mode. The soundtrack was pretty awesome, too. I think once you have a guy laying in the dark listening to Scott Walker you kind of have me.