Zoë's Movie Review: SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

This off beat story about the weeks leading up to a asteroid crashing (and ultimately destroying) the earth has all the elements to a good film but fails to reach it’s full potential.

Steve Carell is once again typecast as a down on his luck, monotone, middle-aged man looking for love, this time named Dodger. Keira Knightly, however, efreshingly plays against her type as Penny: a quirky young woman who is lost in life but ever so optimistic. Dodge and Penny become unlikely friends while searching for Dodge’s high school sweetheart 3 weeks before the world is going to end due to an asteroid collision.

This film is marketed as a comedy, but none of the scenes did more than make me smile in acknowledgement that something amusing was said. The two main characters are dreadfully boring, with cliché characteristics and weak dialogue from beginning to end. I don't find this to be the fault of the actors, for they seemed to pull off the best they could with the material given, the story was just void of a real plot and trite with a very predictable ending. Apocalyptic films, books and television shows are a dime a dozen these days, and each should strive to bring something new to the table. Seeking a Friend failed to make me feel, honestly, anything. The sudden forced romance between Dodge and Penny was uncomfortable to watch because I was not given enough reason to believe that these characters truly cared about each other even as people much less companions. The tone of the movie was inconsistent and more than half of the scenes failed to give character development or move the story along.

Unfortunately, what I had hoped was an offbeat romance filled with actors I love turned into a bore. There are a few redeeming qualities to this productions, including very beautiful cinematography and exceptional music (the trailer alone garnered much attention simply from the song used in it). However, the film failed to use it's talented cast to convey any real emotion, leaving a meaningless film with an unrewarding ending.