As an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart. Accompanying him is a neighbor who inadvertently puts a wrench in his plan.
Feeble and cloying from midway to its final throes, it begins with a bang but – inappropriately for the scenario – goes out with a whimper.
The sugary third act might be as sappy as the first is dark, but there are comforts in this apoca-romcom – not least Carell’s sad-eyed, soulful turn.
So if you can only endure one film about the end of the world, I recommend Don McKellar’s Last Night. If you can endure two, try Lars von Trier’s Melancholia. As for Seeking… bring on the asteroid.
A decidedly human respite from all the superhero action. Perhaps not as funny or affecting as you’d hope, but Carell and Knightley make for good company for the darkest days.
Carell and Knightley do their best to make it lively and touching but the characters are, by turns, dull and irritating, and I never really believed in or cared about their relationship.
The sight of Keira Knightley falling for Steve Carell in this misjudged romantic comedy/drama remains hard to swallow – and not just because the gag reflex kicks in the moment they start batting eyelids at one another.
The picture eventually sinks under the weight of its original idea and becomes simply depressing. An end of the world comedy? A concept too far in this case.
As ever, without a funny script, Carell looks and sounds like the world's creepiest serial killer.
If the end really was nigh, you wouldn't want to spend the little time left with either of these two.
A near-death experience.
A failed attempt to mix genres, made worse by a lot of misplaced schmaltz.
Carell’s rumpled melancholy is a gift, and it’s sad to see it being misappropriated for a project this stunted.
Given how the clock is ticking down to the extinction of the species, the plot moves at a surprisingly languid pace.
Carrell is fine in a role he can (and does) sleepwalk through, but Knightly struggles as the deeply annoying Penny.
"Knock knock." "Who's there?" "Armageddon". "Armageddon who?" "Armageddon tired of watching this lousy movie."
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World: the apocalypse wiht laughs
General release. Check local listings for show times.