I have to admit, I really didn’t know much about Seeking a Friend For the End of the World until reading about the film here on TG and several other places, but it’s a great title for sure.
In addition, I’ve always liked Steve Carell, and to have him star in an Armageddon comedy sound alright to me.
It’s actually not a bad idea for a comedy, because what would any of us do if we knew a big asteroid was going to hit us? There’s a lot you can do with that dramatically and comedically with this, because it would reveal a lot about a lot of us if we had to face the end of the world. Seeking a Friend was written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, who also wrote the well-received Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist.
Scafaria told the movie show Price of Admission she was inspired by the late 90’s end of the world flicks, referring to Armageddon and Deep Impact, where funny enough the world didn’t end in either. Both films were focused on “stopping the destruction from happening,” Scafaria said. “I was really interested in honing in on the individuals themselves, what people would do in that situation, and kind of tell a more intimate story with that kind of epic backdrop.”
Now the reviews are in for the film, and what do the critics say? Well, the reaction is mixed so far. The Hollywood Reporter termed it an “enjoyably offbeat rom-com,” and The Huffington Post wrote it “has its moments.” Yet Indie Wire labelled it “too apocalyptically cute,” and Variety called it, “disastrously dull,” and that the film “chooses to spend the last three weeks of life on earth with two of its least interesting inhabitants.”
Cinema Blend also wrote, “The unlikely romantic pairing of Keira Knightley and Steve Carell never starts to feel any more likely in the glaringly inauthentic Seeking A Friend for the End of the World.”
So maybe some don’t like their Armageddon fluffy and cute, but come on. Does every end of the world movie have to be such a downer?
