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After affirming their feelings for one another during a mass baptism, Dodge and Penny drive to Somerset County to visit Frank ([[Martin Sheen]]), the father whom Dodge has been estranged from for nearly twenty-five years. Their reunion leads to arguing but eventually, they reconcile and the three bond over personal time and dinner. After Penny falls asleep, Dodge carries her outside and it becomes apparent that the pilot that he knew is his father, who is waiting for them in his airplane. Dodge gently rests her in the plane, whispers that she is the love of his life. Dodge then nods to his father and watches as the plane flies away. |
After affirming their feelings for one another during a mass baptism, Dodge and Penny drive to Somerset County to visit Frank ([[Martin Sheen]]), the father whom Dodge has been estranged from for nearly twenty-five years. Their reunion leads to arguing but eventually, they reconcile and the three bond over personal time and dinner. After Penny falls asleep, Dodge carries her outside and it becomes apparent that the pilot that he knew is his father, who is waiting for them in his airplane. Dodge gently rests her in the plane, whispers that she is the love of his life. Dodge then nods to his father and watches as the plane flies away. |
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Dodge returns home to find Elsa once again cleaning his apartment. He scolds her, insisting that she be with her family, but in the end telling her he will see her next Thursday. He turns on the television, only to discover that Matilda is due to arrive |
Dodge returns home to find Elsa once again cleaning his apartment. He scolds her, insisting that she be with her family, but in the end telling her he will see her next Thursday. He turns on the television, only to discover that Matilda is due to arrive one week earlier than expected. With only sixteen hours left, Dodge goes to Penny's apartment with Sorry and listens to her records until the power goes out. In the dark, he finds Penny standing in the living room. Having told his father to turn around, she asks how he could have possibly left her. He admits that it was the stupidest thing he'd ever done, and the two share one final, tearful reunion. |
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Shortly after, they lie in bed with each other and they begin to talk of how things might have been had they known each other sooner. Penny is scared to think that in short moments they will all be gone when Dodge calms her and asks where she grew up. Penny tensely tells him of her childhood with her brothers and late sister when they feel Matilda colliding with Earth. Penny panics, telling him that she thought they could have saved each other, but Dodge assures her they did. Their final moments are spent smiling, and the film slowly ends in a white fade. |
Shortly after, they lie in bed with each other and they begin to talk of how things might have been had they known each other sooner. Penny is scared to think that in short moments they will all be gone when Dodge calms her and asks where she grew up. Penny tensely tells him of her childhood with her brothers and late sister when they feel Matilda colliding with Earth. Penny panics, telling him that she thought they could have saved each other, but Dodge assures her they did. Their final moments are spent smiling, and the film slowly ends in a white fade. |
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Revision as of 11:57, 26 November 2012
| Seeking a Friend for the End of the World | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Lorene Scafaria |
| Written by | Lorene Scafaria |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tim Orr |
| Edited by | Zene Baker |
| Music by |
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Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10,000,000[2] - $25,000,000[3] |
| Box office | $9,636,289[4] |
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a 2012 comedy-drama film written and directed by Lorene Scafaria. The film stars Steve Carell and Keira Knightley.
Plot
The film opens with an announcement that a seventy-mile-wide asteroid named Matilda is on a collision course with Earth and that a last ditch effort to destroy it has failed. The world has three weeks until impact, at which time all of humanity will be wiped out. Dodge Petersen (Steve Carell) and his wife Linda (played by his real wife Nancy Carell) listen to the broadcast from the side of the road. Seconds later, Linda flees the vehicle without saying a word to him.
Dodge returns to a near empty workplace the next day, where he sells insurance. While everyone around him has reacted differently — from suicide to constant drugs to guilt-free sex — Dodge's life hasn't changed at all. Even his housekeeper, Elsa, continues to show up and clean his apartment despite Dodge's insistence that there is no further need to do so.
After attending a friend's party, Dodge returns home to reminisce about his high school sweetheart, Olivia, when he notices his neighbor Penny (Keira Knightley) crying on the fire escape. She admits to him that she has just ended a relationship with her boyfriend Owen (Adam Brody) for making her miss an opportunity to see her family in England. Returning to her apartment, Penny gives Dodge a handful of mail she received for him but kept forgetting to deliver – unknowingly telling him that his ex-wife Linda was having an affair.
Dodge storms off into the night, guzzling Codeine-containing cough syrup and a window cleaner humorously named "Windose" in an attempt to kill himself. The next morning, however, he regains consciousness with a note on his sweater — reading "Sorry" — and a dog tethered to his foot. He takes the dog which he names Sorry home and opens the old mail Penny had been holding. Dodge is surprised to receive a letter from Olivia. The letter explains why she left him and what has happened in her life, ending that he was "the love of her life." On the same night, a riot breaks out. Abandoning Owen amidst the rioters, Dodge explains to Penny that he knows someone who could get her to England if she helps him find Olivia first. She agrees and the two set off.
After running out of gas, Dodge and Penny are picked up by a sympathetic driver in a pick-up (William Petersen) who regales them with his life story. During a pit stop, the driver confronts Dodge, asking him how he's going to kill him. The driver makes light of Dodge's confusion, admitting he had hired an assassin to have himself killed just before getting gunned down. After burying the driver with shovels he had been carrying for this purpose, Dodge and Penny drive on to a restaurant called Friendsy's. After Penny playfully announces that they are there to celebrate Dodge's birthday, a frenzy of kissing and drinking breaks out. Penny and Dodge leave just as an orgy commences and, swept away in the spontaneity of the moment, the two have sex in the pickup.
Later in Camden, Dodge and Penny meet Speck (Derek Luke), an ex-boyfriend of Penny's and military man who appears prepared for the apocalypse. Speck reveals that he owns a satellite phone and lets Penny contact her family. After convincing Speck to loan them one of his fleet of Smart cars, Penny and Dodge finally track down Olivia's whereabouts. Dodge exits the vehicle and starts toward the door, much to Penny's disappointment. A short time later he returns, revealing he had simply left a note. Penny presses him for an explanation but he gives her none.
After affirming their feelings for one another during a mass baptism, Dodge and Penny drive to Somerset County to visit Frank (Martin Sheen), the father whom Dodge has been estranged from for nearly twenty-five years. Their reunion leads to arguing but eventually, they reconcile and the three bond over personal time and dinner. After Penny falls asleep, Dodge carries her outside and it becomes apparent that the pilot that he knew is his father, who is waiting for them in his airplane. Dodge gently rests her in the plane, whispers that she is the love of his life. Dodge then nods to his father and watches as the plane flies away.
Dodge returns home to find Elsa once again cleaning his apartment. He scolds her, insisting that she be with her family, but in the end telling her he will see her next Thursday. He turns on the television, only to discover that Matilda is due to arrive one week earlier than expected. With only sixteen hours left, Dodge goes to Penny's apartment with Sorry and listens to her records until the power goes out. In the dark, he finds Penny standing in the living room. Having told his father to turn around, she asks how he could have possibly left her. He admits that it was the stupidest thing he'd ever done, and the two share one final, tearful reunion.
Shortly after, they lie in bed with each other and they begin to talk of how things might have been had they known each other sooner. Penny is scared to think that in short moments they will all be gone when Dodge calms her and asks where she grew up. Penny tensely tells him of her childhood with her brothers and late sister when they feel Matilda colliding with Earth. Penny panics, telling him that she thought they could have saved each other, but Dodge assures her they did. Their final moments are spent smiling, and the film slowly ends in a white fade.
Cast
- Steve Carell as Dodge Petersen
- Keira Knightley as Penelope "Penny" Lockhart
- William Petersen as Trucker
- Melanie Lynskey as Karen
- Adam Brody as Owen
- Tonita Castro as Elsa
- Mark Moses as Anchorman
- Derek Luke as Speck
- Connie Britton as Diane
- Patton Oswalt as Roache
- Rob Corddry as Warren
- Melinda Dillon as Rose
- Rob Huebel as Jeremy
- Gillian Jacobs as Friendsy's waitress Katie
- T.J. Miller as Chipper host
- Amy Schumer as Lacey
- Jim O'Heir as Sheriff
- Martin Sheen as Frank/Dodge's father
- Nancy Carell as Linda/Dodge's ex-wife
Production
Lorene Scafaria wanted to "tell the story of boy meets girl with a really ticking clock", prompted by recent events in her own life, including a "death in the family, a breakup, and a new relationship".[5] The story of an "unexpected romance blossoming between two strangers while on an impromptu road trip" is familiar territory for Scafaria, as that was the premise of her previous screenplay, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.[6]
Filming began May 2011, in Los Angeles, California.[7]
Reception
The movie received mixed reviews from critics. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 55% of critics gave it a positive review, with the consensus "Tender, charming, and well-acted, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is unfortunately hamstrung by jarring tonal shifts and a disappointing final act."[8] Writing for Vogue magazine, film critic Nathan Heller stated that the script was "desperately in need of a good edit" while commending the performances of Knightley and Carell, asserting: "Carell and, more surprisingly, Knightley are comedians proficient enough to sell the banter".[9] The film performed poorly on its opening weekend, earning only $3 million and managed to debut at Number 4 on the UK Box Office for the week ending July 15, 2012.
Home media
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc and made available for digital streaming in the United States on October 23, 2012.
References
- ^ Angie Han (January 24, 2012). "Release Date Shuffle: 'The Raven', 'House at the End of the Street', 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World' [Updated] | /Film". Slashfilm.com. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1307068/business
- ^ http://www.boxoffice.com/statistics/movies/seeking-friend-for-the-end-of-the-world-2012
- ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=seekingafriend.htm
- ^ Sara Vilkomerson (April 17, 2012). "Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
- ^ Sean O'Neal (February 10, 2012). "Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World". AVClub. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
- ^ "Epic fun ahead as Keira Knightley and Steve Carell join forces to film Seeking A Friend for the End of the World". Daily Mail. May 19, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
Unlikely screen duo Kiera Knightley and Steve Carell battled a windy movie set yesterday as they shot the first scenes for their new film, Seeking A Friend for the End of the World.
- ^ "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
- ^ "The Last Ones Left: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World". Vogue. Retrieved July 9, 2012.