Eternity

It was a good date night movie. It's been a minute since my wife and I have been able to see a decent film that wasn't all action-packed. I didn't know much about it going in, but I've always been a fan of Miles Teller movies.

This one actually reminded me a bit of Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life - which is another great movie, by the way. It had a nice mix of serious undertones and comedy at the same time.

It's definitely not what I personally believe the afterlife to be, but it was an interesting take. The acting was really solid, and even though it's a comedy, I found it surprisingly thought-provoking. It dives into what love and marriage really mean in a way that sticks with you.

Do you need to see it in theaters? Not necessarily. But will you laugh? Absolutely. You might even tear up a little. I found it entertaining, and I'd definitely watch it again.

Life can sometimes present us with hard choices. However, according to the latest feature from writer-director David Freyne, death can hand us some even bigger ones. That's the dilemma posed to Joan Cutler (Elizabeth Olsen), who passes away after a long and happy life. But, once in the afterlife, she faces a task that's not at all what she expected, given the unforeseen nature of what eternity turns out to be. It turns out that the deceased get to pick the form of eternity that they wish to experience, one drawn from a virtually infinite range of interests based on personal preferences. But there are a few catches: (1) newly arrived spirits have a week to choose the eternity they wish to experience, and (2) once they make their decision, there's no changing it. However, this process is further complicated for Joan by the fact that two predeceased souls have awaited her arrival, both of whom want to accompany her into whatever form of eternity she selects: her recently deceased husband of 65 years, Larry (Miles Teller), and the first love of her life, her long-departed first husband, Luke (Callum Turner). She loves them both, feelings that Larry and Luke freely reciprocate. But how can Joan make such a difficult choice? Her assigned afterlife coordinator (AC) (John Early) tries to help, as does Larry's AC (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), but there's only so much they can do. The same is true for Larry and Luke, as well as Joan's recently deceased best friend, Karen (Olga Merediz), but the final decision is hers. So what will she decide? "Eternity" presents viewers with an intriguing tale of what to do under circumstances as trying as these. It thus shows that what most of us imagine to be a time of ever-lasting bliss and harmony can carry challenges not unlike the lives we just left, even if potential happiness ultimately awaits us for successfully surviving such tests of character. In that sense, it calls to mind parallels examined in such previous related offerings as "Defending Your Life" (1991) and "What Dreams May Come" (1998). And, in doing so, this delightful supernatural romantic comedy-drama holds viewer interest well with its numerous plot twists, inventive and surprisingly edgy humor, steady narrative pacing, and fine performances from the entire ensemble, especially Randolph and Early in memorable supporting roles. It's also gratifying to watch a romcom that doesn't resort to clichés or get trapped in the kinds of sappy, manipulative tropes so often typical of releases in this genre. Indeed it's refreshing to see a depiction of eternity that certainly doesn't unduly feel like it. Here's hoping the real thing comes across the same way.

This was like reeeeeally wonderful. Charming, magical, human, what movies are about. The premise had me in a choke-hold; you'll think about your own life, your choices, your loves, your legacy, your mortality. And if you'd do anything different. Cried like 5 times. Put Da'Vine Joy Randolph in everything.

Rating - 8.3: Overall, a cute rom-com that explores the love triangle dynamic in a unique way by touching on themes of morality and the afterlife; this movie does a good job incorporating humor throughout, but is still pretty formulaic to the rom-Com template as the second half of the movie becomes pretty safe and predictable.

Direction - Good: The direction on a macroscale feels like an homage to 60s cinema, while also using the ridiculousness of the world to add to the humor; The direction on a microscale feels like 60s cinema, and it does a good job of bringing out the comedy and the relationships in the interpersonal scenes; Storytelling is pretty simple, often using comedy and love story tropes to fall back on to drive the story forward; Tension is built by using your interest in this love triangle to keep you invested in what happens next

Story - Pretty Good to Good: The concept is a pretty unique idea for a love triangle as it explores this idea in the afterlife, touching on ideas of morality and love in a fun and cute way; The plot structure is pretty linear and formulaic; Character writing is pretty standard for a love triangle with characters being from the 50s and 60s

Screenplay - Good: The dialogue is funny as they do a good job trying to mix humor into the dialogue to make the movie funny and cute; The humor is a big part of the storytelling as it makes the movie fun and enjoyable, even though it tries to be a little too funny with there being a joke in almost every piece of dialogue; The symbolism is fun and cute as it touches on topics like love and morality, and how this plays into the afterlife; The foreshadowing is present and fine for the most part, even though it is a bit predictable towards the end

Acting - Pretty Good to Good: Miles Teller - Good (Has a lot of charisma and comedic timing; Has good chemistry with the cast, especially Olsen and Joy Randolph), Elizabeth Olsen - Good (Plays the lead well and has this 60s aura that really works for her character; has good chemistry with Teller and Turner to help bring to life this love triangle), Callum Turner - Pretty Good (Pretty good in his role and holds his own; He has pretty good chemistry with the cast, especially Olsen), John Early - Pretty Good (Plays his role well, and he has pretty good chemistry with the cast), Olga Merediz - Pretty Good (Has pretty good comedic timing and pretty good chemistry with the cast, especially Olsen), Da'Vine Joy Randolph - Good (Shows her Oscar-winning talent as she fills up the room with her personality and charm and has great chemistry with Teller), Rest of the cast - Pretty Good (Everyone plays their role well in helping elevate the cast and playing to the comedy standards the movie sets)

Score - Good: Pretty standard, helps with setting the tone and creating an entertaining energy

Soundtrack - Pretty Good to Good: Pays homage to the 50s and 60s

Cinematography - Good: Standard for a Rom-Com; pays a part in helping set up jokes and making the movie funny

Editing - Good: Standard for a rom-com; pays a part in helping set up jokes and making the movie funny

Production Design - Very Good: Make this world feel unique, as the idea of a junction before finding your eternity plays a part in the messaging for the movie, and it plays a part in the humor because many of the jokes are laid into the production design itself

Costumes - Pretty Good

Pacing - Pacing is fine for the most part, but a bit slower in the second half

Climax - Climax is cute and enjoyable, but feels very formulaic with other rom-coms that involve a love triangle

Tone - Tone very much feels like a Rom-Com that pays homage to the 50s and 60s

Final Notes - Saw premiere at Austin Film Festival.

Eternity is a romantic comedy about a woman having to decide if she should spend her afterlife with her first dead husband or her current husband. Usually I am not a fan of rom coms but its premise really hooked me. I love the concept of the afterlife with eternities be broken down to concept themes as it allows for some funny gags. The acting from the lead three are great as the drama is realistic as I have thought about this happening for people that remarry about being widowed. The weakest of the actors are the afterlife coordinators who are meant to be the comedic relief. They are ok but I found most of their jokes to be not funny. The story is good although the ending is not executed great. It was very rushed and didn't explain a lot so you were kinda left confused at the end. That being said I thought it was a very emotional story. Even if you aren't a big fan of romantic comedy, I think you will enjoy this.