Seeking A Friend At The End Of The World is a an apocalyptic romcom from first time director Lorene Scafaria. Her previously contribution to film was writing the screenplay for Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. This continues the tone of being an incredibly saccharin film.
The premise is that the world is literally going to end via an asteroid strike. Some people attempt to go on with their daily lives, whilst others cannot cope. Steve Carell plays Dodge, a man who is attempting to live out his final days as normal as possible, until his wife leaves him. He befriends Penny (Kiera Knightly) a tenant living in the same building and they both go in search of an old love of Dodge’s, who he thought was the one that got away.
The film attempts to deal with the idea of what we are supposed to do seemingly knowing we’re going to die, but cannot address it with any real purpose. The two main characters ultimate realisation essentially comes out of nowhere, with no actual rapport or spark between them. It is not certain whether this film wants to be an off-beat comedy or a drama and does not strike either tone correctly. Everything that precedes the ending is not a journey of character development that enforces the idea of two characters becoming close, but is just a jumble of random scenarios that leaves a bittersweet aftermath.
Dexter Kong
Rating:12A
DVD/BD Release Date: 5th November 2012 (UK&Ireland)
Directed By:Lorene Scafaria
Cast: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry
Buy:Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World [DVD]
