"Seeking a Friend for the End of the World"
Written & Directed by: Lorene Scafaria
Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley
Rated: R
101 Minutes
By now, audiences must be overly familiar with the disaster film. Countless blockbusters have invented ever-creative ways to depict the end of days, usually accompanied by spectacular CGI shots of colossal waves, nuclear explosions or planetary scorching. Now there is "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," a disaster film without a single shot of the impending disaster. Rather than CGI and global calamity, here is a film that is more concerned with the internal disasters of one's life, quietly examining what a person might actually do knowing the earth had three weeks of existence left. The film's most poignant line also happens to be one of its funniest. As a man's housemaid leaves after the day's work, and knowing what he knows, he quite casually observes "I regret my entire life."
"Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" begins with probably its wisest move by informing us that a comet, 70 miles wide, is to impact earth in three weeks' time. Not only that, but the last ditch effort to stop it has failed. This information is provided via radio broadcast, as Dodge (Steve Carell) listens, almost no emotion on his face. By starting with this, the movie plays fair by eliminating the expectation of a happy ending, thereby allowing the audience to relax without the distraction or tension of the unknown to come. Don't get me wrong; if there is a happy ending, and the comet does not impact earth, it's a pleasant surprise. If it does impact earth, well, we can't say we weren't warned. Given the latter scenario, we don't really blame Dodge's wife, Linda (played by Carell's real-life spouse, Nancy), for fleeing the car, never to be seen again.
The first thirty minutes or so are spent establishing what has become of everyday routines in the earth's final weeks. Offices sit empty, save for a few employees who would rather stick to what they know, perhaps for the comfort of familiarity. Dodge's occupation is ironic; he is an insurance salesman, and in one clever bit of dialogue, explains disaster insurance to a customer over the phone. Yes, the premium is expensive, but hey, it includes comet coverage. He returns home to find the maid (Tonita Castro) happily cleaning his apartment. She informs him that he is almost out of window cleaner and that she'll see him next week. When he tells her that won't be necessary, she humorously goes into a panic over losing her job rather than coming to the realization that it literally won't be necessary for her to return. It is moments like this that earn "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" some nice laughs; they are quiet laughs, mind you, because this is humor that comes from the human spirit rather than raunchy behavior. There are certainly some deviant methods of coping, but nothing plays as unrealistic, because how do we know what we would do under the same circumstances?
Dodge shuffles his way through a party with friends, who cruly inform him that Linda wasn't really happy in the marriage. They try to hook him up with an overly-eager party guest (Melanie Lynskey) and even his friend's wife comes on to him. All the while, Dodge just continues to look gloomily into the void, boldly unafraid to say that he doesn't know how to feel or what he wants. That's the nice thing about the screenplay by Lorene Scafaria (who also directed); it allows the characters their moments of introspection and does not give way to exposition, which is just a way to pander to the audiences' need for easy understanding. It feels as though the characters wrote themselves, and not having clear motivations every step of the way is a more honest reflection of real life.
Pretty soon, Dodge finds a downstairs neighbor crying outside on his fire escape. This is Penny (Keira Knightley), who has just split with her boyfriend. But the real reason she's crying is her missed opportunity to fly home to be with her family. Penny tells Dodge she has been meaning to give him several months' worth of mail that has mistakenly been delivered to her apartment, and through this development we also discover a regret about Dodge that he didn't even realize he had. He tells her he knows a man with a plane, and if she agrees to provide the car, he'll get her where she needs to go. What follows is a middle act road trip movie that explores the vitality of human companionship. As the two protagonists encounter all kinds of perplexing human behavior, they stay remarkably grounded by their quiet contentment to just have one another as company.
The remarkable thing about "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" is the fine balance of tone. It stays just funny enough to be uplifitng without being inappropriate, and just poignant enough to be meaningful without being melodramatic. There are beats of absurd comedy, as when Dodge and Penny encounter a nice traveler who has hired a hitman to assassinate him at an unknown time. It is perhaps inevitable that he breifly mistakes Dodge for the assassin. They also visit a restaurant called 'Friendly's' where the staff is intrusively friendly, indeed. The nature of the place is perhaps a shade unbelievable, but that is wisely acknowledged by Penny and Dodge as well. Needless to say, they don't stay for the, um, dessert.
Whether they get to where they need to be is beside the point. Almost certainly, where they need to be is subject to change by the film's end. It's the process of getting there that really matters, and what they can learn from one another along the way. I mentioned earlier the lack of tension that helps the audience to relax. Don't mistake that for a boring narrative. The characters are so engaging and their developments so honest, that I couldn't help but feel that this would be a nice way to spend the end of days. In one of the film's best moments, Dodge and Penny are forced to stop in the road, as dozens of people file toward some unknown destination. Without a word, they silently join the group, only to find a clergyman of some faith providing baptisms in the ocean to anybody who desires one. While they don't partake, they sit together and observe while having their own moment on the beach together. It is a beautiful shot, and nicely respectful to the role of faith in conditions like these.
"Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" emerges as an early contender for one of the best pictures of the year. It is a sweet and deeply introspective feature that examines the hopefulness capable in all of us, even in the face of impending doom. There are many who live life thriving off their social interactions and constant need for attention, and some who function better in solitude. Here is a film that finds a nice balance by suggesting that true happiness is found in the close bond of love and friendship, even if you only have one. The film's final shot conveys that thesis, I believe. If you stop to think about it, there is really nothing left to resolve by the movie's conclusion. Everyone is where they need to be and it ends with Dodge saying the only thing there is left to say.
*Note. The R rating is misleading. While there is language, it is infrequent. This is such a sweet-natured film and would be safe for anyone looking to be uplifted.
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