Seeking a Friend For the End of the World (Lorene Scafaria, 2013)

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domino harvey
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Seeking a Friend For the End of the World (Lorene Scafaria, 2013)

#1 Post by domino harvey » Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:33 pm

A romantic comedy set against the apocalypse is a bonkers, Who greenlit this? idea, and for all the brashness of the premise, the film delivers exactly what it promises while still surprising with its sincerity. The film adopts a tonal structure mirroring the emotional core of the characters, a schizophrenic decision that risks alienating initially friendly viewers-- the vulgar (and very funny) black comedy of the film early on is at distinct odds with the sincerity with which the film eventually arrives, and anyone not prepared to follow the journey is said fashion will be unconvinced of its worth. But I found the shifts convincing and effective, with wild vice-crazed bacchanalia of the first third giving way to a cute romantic comedy middle before draining the humor out of the romance as the end appears nigh, each stage reinforcing the surprisingly effective love story on display. I can intellectualize the film's approach and praise its execution, but all the deeper analysis in the world can't cloud the reality that despite the often hackneyed and familiar beats it employs in the process the film simply touched my heart. It's so rare that I can buy into a modern romance in this fashion that perhaps that is the highest function it need serve. YMMV, naturally.

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colinr0380
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Re: The Films of 2012

#2 Post by colinr0380 » Sat Nov 10, 2012 8:29 pm

domino I haven't seen the film yet but I do remember wondering how it would compare to the similarly themed Canadian film Last Night.

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swo17
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Re: The Films of 2012

#3 Post by swo17 » Thu Apr 18, 2013 2:29 pm

domino harvey wrote:Seeking a Friend For the End of the World (Lorene Scafaria) A romantic comedy set against the apocalypse is a bonkers, Who greenlit this? idea, and for all the brashness of the premise, the film delivers exactly what it promises while still surprising with its sincerity. The film adopts a tonal structure mirroring the emotional core of the characters, a schizophrenic decision that risks alienating initially friendly viewers-- the vulgar (and very funny) black comedy of the film early on is at distinct odds with the sincerity with which the film eventually arrives, and anyone not prepared to follow the journey is said fashion will be unconvinced of its worth. But I found the shifts convincing and effective, with wild vice-crazed bacchanalia of the first third giving way to a cute romantic comedy middle before draining the humor out of the romance as the end appears nigh, each stage reinforcing the surprisingly effective love story on display. I can intellectualize the film's approach and praise its execution, but all the deeper analysis in the world can't cloud the reality that despite the often hackneyed and familiar beats it employs in the process the film simply touched my heart. It's so rare that I can buy into a modern romance in this fashion that perhaps that is the highest function it need serve. YMMV, naturally.
I just got around to seeing this and found it very pleasantly surprising. The first hour or so is indeed this brilliant anarchic comedy about an entire populace acting selfishly, irresponsibly, and just generally ignoring all societal boundaries when the consequences of doing so are promised to be annihilated along with everything else on the planet. This section of the film does get quite dark and vulgar, but in a completely organic way, never in a "look what we can do in an R-rated movie" way. In contrast, the relationship between the two leads shows how far a little bit of kindness and selflessness can get you. The final third of the film is decidedly more serious/emotional, and hits a lot of expected beats for a romance/romcom, but I thought they were all earned. These two people don't fall in love because they are the two pretty people starring in this particular movie. They fall in love because they each consciously decide to devote the little bit of time left them to making the other one's end of the world as tolerable as possible, and in doing so, they each find as much happiness as the situation will allow. A valuable lesson to be reminded of, whether or not the world is about to end.

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barryconvex
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Re: Seeking a Friend For the End of the World (L Scafaria, 2

#4 Post by barryconvex » Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:54 pm

Wow...all due respect to the original poster but I really did not like this movie. I thought Steve Carrell (who i like) and Keira Knightley (who i liked in Domino but not much else) were completely mismatched. Watching them supposedly "fall in love" was like watching blah blah blah...and if the world is ending tomorrow Vintage Violence is NOT the John Cale solo album one should be lugging around with them. That honor would have to go to Fear...maybe Paris 1919...

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swo17
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Re: Seeking a Friend For the End of the World (L Scafaria, 2

#5 Post by swo17 » Fri Apr 26, 2013 11:58 pm

barryconvex wrote:I thought Steve Carrell (who i like) and Keira Knightley (who i liked in Domino but not much else) were completely mismatched.
I think this actually speaks to my point about the relationship being built on each person putting the other before them, rather than on any kind of traditional "movie chemistry." Yes, they are an odd pairing. (At one point, Carell's character almost cringes when he realizes the age difference between them.) Though on the other hand, they are just two people. The movie could have starred, say, Gérard Depardieu and Miley Cyrus and I still would have bought the love story.

As a side note, this film is by far the most I've enjoyed Keira Knightley in anything. She showed a certain...liveliness here that I don't usually associate with her.

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barryconvex
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Re: Seeking a Friend For the End of the World (L Scafaria, 2

#6 Post by barryconvex » Mon Apr 29, 2013 10:25 pm

my other problem (and it is my problem, not the movie's) is that i had a tough time being objective. i kept thinking about what i'd like to do, who i'd like to be with if i were in that situation. someday I'll watch it again with a different mindset.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: Seeking a Friend For the End of the World (Lorene Scafaria, 2013)

#7 Post by therewillbeblus » Sat Feb 08, 2020 1:01 am

I don’t know if I’ve seen a film that completely validates my own philosophy as much as this did. The transition between nihilism to empowerment ultimately lands in the sticky yet clear middle, as characters confront their own definitions on meaning or bury this discomfort with sublimation or denial. Rarely is an existentialist’s playground so funny and sweet, and perhaps I should have seen certain developments coming but everything was even more honest than I could have expected given the genre standards that I found myself continuously impressed with multiple creative lenses at examining the situation occurring at once. This is perhaps the most authentic element, the ability to hold the senses of sadness and dread with continual liberation through surrender, goosebumps from blossoming connections, the sense of regret and self-evaluation, and bizarre situational humor. I think I may have also just seen my favorite ending in all of cinema, hyperbole and all. Perhaps this worked extra well for me because like barryconvex I had a very subjective experience but this was in line with it 100% hitting home the seemingly endless journey of working through the pains of the past and the fear of the future to arrive at the present and hold yourself there just a little bit longer each time to grasp serenity. All I want is to have Carell’s attitude at the end of my life, with an image like the final shot as my last. What a wonderful life, and a reminder to participate and embrace everything that holds meaning for us while we can.

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