Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Release Date:
June 22, 2012
On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 44/169 |
Max Braden |
I thought this was painfully sweet, but I do have a bias for Knightley. Nice to see a casual end of the world for once. |
Steve Carell has forged his reputation in the acting community as the uber-annoying Michael Scott on The Office. His movie career has been slightly different in that the roles he has portrayed as a lead actor have generally been genial, well-intentioned sorts who are easily identifiable. In this regard, he has become something of the modern Jimmy Stewart. Since providing comic support in the masterpiece Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Carell has evolved into the lovable nice guy in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Dan in Real Life, Get Smart, Date Night and Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World portrays Carell in a similar light. The title describes the setting for the movie. A meteor is about to strike the Earth and leave humanity to the same fate as the dinosaurs. In the final few days of existence, the entire world has the epiphany that we as a people need to decide exactly what is important to us. Carell’s character, Dodge, has yet to decide what that may be. His wife, on the other hand, recognizes that she does not want to waste her final hours with him. So, he gets a separation right around the same time a neighbor decides she and her boyfriend are not working out.
This woman looks a lot like Keira Knightley, and you can guess what happens from there. The two embark upon a road trip ostensibly to find Dodge’s lost love, a woman who recently wrote to inform Dodge that he was the love of her life. On the journey, Knightley and Carell fall for one another, with the question being whether they can admit this to one another as well as themselves before the killer meteor splatters us all.
Yes, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a hard sell. It is a romantic comedy featuring doomed characters. As such, its box office potential is limited. Many people will hear the title and immediately dismiss the movie. The rest of us who really like Carell in these Dan in Real Life-ish story driven tales and Knightley in, well, everything will (hopefully) discover a satisfying genre film, albeit a presumably melancholy one. (David Mumpower/BOP)
Vital statistics for Seeking a Friend for the End of the World |
| Main Cast |
Steve Carell, Keira Knightley |
| Supporting Cast |
Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry, Gillian Jacobs, Derek Luke, Melanie Lynskey, T.J. Miller, Mark Moses, Patton Oswalt, William Petersen |
| Director |
Lorene Scafaria |
| Screenwriter |
Lorene Scafaria |
| Distributor |
Focus Features |
| Trailer |
Click Here for Trailer
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| Official Site |
http://focusfeatures.com/seeking_a_friend_for_the_end_of_the_world |
| Rating |
R |
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Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture |
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