Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Writer-director Lorene Scafaria's film offers a comedic twist on the terrifying apocalypse predicted by the Mayan calendar. With a 70-mile wide asteroid catapulting toward Earth (all attempts to divert it have failed), people are confused about how to spend their final days. Many intoxicate themselves into oblivion. Others riot in the streets. And some simply go to work as usual, like soft-spoken insurance salesman Dodge (Steve Carell), even though his wife has just left him for another man. Resigned to loneliness, Dodge reasons, “I can't spend the last month getting to know someone.” But when Dodge finds his ditsy British neighbor, Penny (Keira Knightley), crying on the fire escape after leaving her boorish boyfriend, he offers her refuge. In return, Penny retrieves Dodge's mail (mistakenly placed in her own mailbox), and discovers that Olivia, his old high-school girlfriend, has been trying to get in touch with him, confessing that he was the love of her life. That sets Dodge on a quest through New Jersey and Delaware to find Olivia, a bucolic road trip on which he's accompanied by Penny, who yearns to get back to her family across the pond in Surrey. Despite cameo appearances by Patton Oswalt, Connie Britton, Rob Corddry, and Martin Sheen, this is a formulaic and predictable romantic comedy, despite the doomsday scenario. Also, Carell has played this kind of wistful schlub so often that he could do it in his sleep—and almost does, since he displays zero chemistry with Knightley here. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Lorene Scafaria, the director's mother Gail, producer Joy Gorman, and costars Patton Oswalt and Adam Brody, outtakes (9 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (5 min.), “Music from the End of the World: What's on Your Playlist?” interviews with cast and crew (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function, and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)