June 22, 2012 in GENRES
SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD
RYAN: The title to this film is very long and actually quite literal.
CAROLINE: I don’t quite know what to make of this. I love Steve Carell but I didn’t really grasp the tone of this film from the trailer.
RYAN: It’s a sci fi/romantic drama with a good dose of black comedy.
CAROLINE: Wow that’s a whole lotta genres in one. How was it?
RYAN: It’s fine. It’s nice and enjoyable but it’s not like you have to run out and see it. It’s a first time writer/director and sort of feels like a first movie. There’s great effort. Some of the dialogue is awkward but that might be due to the leap of faith you have to take for the sci fi aspects of the film.
CAROLINE: See that’s where I think it would lose me. I’m not big into sci fi. How was Steve?
RYAN: He’s always good, isn’t he? He plays depressed so well. This reminds me of his role in Little Miss Sunshine a bit. He really is proving to be a versatile actor.
CAROLINE: We also loved him in Crazy Stupid Love last year.
RYAN: Totes. And here we have him with little miss Knightley, of the Keira variety.
CAROLINE: I think I prefer her in period pieces. How did she do in this?
RYAN: She’s good. She’s still showing colors of hysteria, harkening back to her acclaimed performance in A Dangerous Method. She and Steve actually have some decent chemistry on screen.
CAROLINE: I don’t really see them together. Are there effects in the movie?
RYAN: It’s not that kind of sci fi and I’d say the genre that looms the largest is romantic drama. It’s mostly about relationships – lovers, family, that sort of thing. And it does raise some interesting questions about morality, priorities, perspective. What would we do? How would we react if we know the world was gonna end in fourteen days?
CAROLINE: Deep stuff.
RYAN: Yet the movie never gets too deep. There’s some good supporting acting though, from Connie Britton and Adam Brody, and I love love that Melanie Lynskey.
CAROLINE: I like her too.
RYAN: It’s a quiet lil indie drama with all those other genre elements. If you want a chill movie sometime, this is a great option. But it’s not the must see of the season.
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