Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

As offbeat as you'd expect from the long-winded title and peculiar casting; this is a simple tale about two very different people searching for a connection. The kicker is the world is about to end. Carell once again proves himself an endlessly engaging screen presence, while Knightley lets her hair down to play a kooky sort.

When we first meet Carell's character he's sitting in his car with his wife, listening to a voice on the radio explaining that the final mission to destroy a meteor heading for earth has failed and that everyone will be brown bread in a few weeks. Upon hearing this, his wife bounces from the car, leaving him to face his (and everyone else's) impending doom alone. An unlikely companion appears in the fine form of neighbour Knightley, who has just split from her deadbeat boyfriend and wants to return home to her family.

At points playing like Zombieland without the zombies, this low-key production actually manages to get better the more it moves on. Carell has played this type of emotionally stoic guy in the midst of mid-life crisis before, but he injects him with so much warmth he's hard not the root for. Proceedings are also livened up by a series of very funny cameos, with Rob Cordry playing a typically boisterous, but amusing family friend, and TJ Miller (he held the camera in Cloverfield) once again stealing an entire scene as an out-of-it restaurant employee.

You'll need to have patience for 'SAFFTEOTW' to really connect. It starts off very slowly in a weighted attempt to pull you in. Despite Carell's superb work, I was bordering on losing interest until he and Knightley hit the road and the film thankfully gains some momentum. The British actress is also solid, obviously enjoying herself playing a more ostenacious character than she's used to. Lorene Scafaria does a sterling job with all of the actors and also keeping the movie from veering too much off coruse - not an easy task when you're meeting so many different characters.

Leaves a very sweet taste in the mouth. This is a lovely film, that while far from perfect, still manages to engage thanks to some wonderful acting and steady helming.