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

 Directed by Lorene Scafaria

Starring Steve Carrell and Keira Knightley

Runtime 101min. - Rated R

3.5 Stars (out of 4)

The DVD is available in October but can be pre-ordered now at Amazon.com.

For someone as morose as myself, finding humor in the portrayal of an impending apocalypse is next to impossible. If I were to laugh at the fictional simultaneous death of 7 billion people, it would do so during this film. Actually, I did summon a chuckle or two when the story sufficiently distracted me from its own context. The beginning and ending, however, left a lot of room for me to drift off into that dark corner of my brain that only daily medication can keep at bay. That isn't necessarily a negative aspect of the film. To keep me nihilistically ruminating on life's big questions is a sure sign that I was intellectually engaged. I was certainly never bored.


The film's opening gives us straight facts. Dodge (Carrell) and his wife (played by his real-life wife Nancy Carrell) are listening to a radio news update. They sit expressionless in a stationary car as the announcement is made that the world will end in three weeks. A final effort to destroy an asteroid, named Matilda, has failed. There is no chance of escaping the impact. All life will be obliterated.Without uttering a word, Dodge's wife jumps out of the car and runs away.

As the situation begins to sink in, people react in vastly different ways. Dodge's maid chooses to live as if nothing has changed. When he goes home after his wife has ran away, the maid is doing her daily chores. He begs her to go spend time with her family. She's worried that he's firing her and convinces him to let her stay. Then there are those who decide to throw away all social expectations.One parent is shown teaching his children how to chug booze. Patton Oswalt plays an acquaintance of Dodge's who explains how the pre-apocalyptic conditions have boosted his sex life. He says the chicks no longer care if you have a little penis, use a condom, have a disease, or are related. Riots pop up frequently in the streets and stores are looted continuously. One restaurant, that closely resembles T.G.I.F, remains open and has added orgies and drugs to their already fun atmosphere. The more determined (and perhaps optimistic) citizens build bomb shelters and stockpile food.

Left to Right: Dodge, Sorry and Penny

Left with little purpose, Dodge picks up some window cleaner that his maid has requested. On the walk home from the store he decides to drink the cleaner. His suicide attempt fails, but not all is lost. He wakes up in the park with a note on his chest that says "Sorry" and a dog tied up nearby. "Sorry" becomes the dog's name and he becomes a fixture in Dodge's journey.

The other character in our story is Penny (Knightley). She's a hypersomniac (can sleep through anything) who has just broken up with her boyfriend when she meets Dodge. After they are chased away from their apartment complex by a group of rioters, Dodge learns that Penny's family are all overseas. He's decided to visit his old high school sweetheart but he needs transportation. Penny has that transportation and in exchange for her services Dodge has promised to introduce her to a friend of his who has a plane. It's probably not spoiling anything to say they fall in love. There's a long line of bizarre situations and obstacles they must face before that happens though.

Despite all the time I spent teetering on the edge of despondency, I can find very little fault with this movie. The public reactions are believable. The acting is incredible. Carrell gives the performance you've come to expect and Knightley shows some terrific emotional range. Director Lorene Scafaria has given us a superiorly crafted film in every possible aspect. Everyone should find "Seeking A Friend" to be emotionally charged. It's up to the individual to decide which emotion it's charged with.