Movies: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Mom and I needed to take a break from all the waiting, so we went to a movie Friday night. Given our mood, we weren't going to see something like "Ted" or "Magic Mike," so we settled on "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," an apocalyptic dramedy starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley:



In "Seeking a Friend," the world confronts the impending doom of a 70-mile wide asteroid named Matilda. Some people commit suicide, some engage in senseless hedonism, and others, like our heroes Dodge (Carell) and Penny (Knightley), have an existential crisis. After a riot forces the two out of their apartment, they embark on a journey to find Dodge's high school sweetheart and a plane to fly Penny to her family in England.

There are plenty of movies with a similar premise, so "Seeking a Friend" really needed to be executed well in order to make an impression. Unfortunately, Carell and Knightley don't have much chemistry, and they seem more like stock characters than real people (Knightley is a classic MPDG, and Carell is basically reprising his glum role in "Dan in Real Life"). They try hard, but there just isn't much story here; when the asteroid finally does hit, you'll be more relieved than anything else.

Rating: 5/10