When You Finish Saving the World

Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival

"When You Finish Saving the World" isn't the best A24 production but the movie is still engaging and fun due to the realistic nature between the characters portrayed by Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard and the captivating tone presented throughout. Eisenberg isn't an actor that I am incredibly invested in but he has played some really good movies over the past years in the 2010s decades of cinema. This movie displays that for an actor, his directing talents does shine quite a bit.

What makes the movie interesting is due to the characters and the engaging narrative Eisenberg presents. The characters are seen as mean, narcissistic and quite all over the place. I understand if people will be annoyed by this kind's of characters but the fact is that in real life, people can be different and mean. That's what makes it very nature and interesting. The production designs are very good, Wolfhard's singing is surprisingly pretty good and the tone is perfectly paced.

The problem is that sometimes the writing does feel flat because it is pretty predictable from the beginning to end at times. Secondly, certain dialogue spoken from the actors felt really off as if the words were written by some robot.

Overall, it is a pretty good debut despite it's flaws. It's definitely not for everyone but I recommend this if you are a lover of A24's projects.

Rating: B.

When You Finish Saving The World is more a drama than a comedy/drama. I didn't get the comedy in this movie if I have to be honest. Maybe it just wasn't my kind of humour. That said as a drama it's watchable. Not really my favourite genre of movies though so you could say a six stars rating for this one is pretty high considering the genre. It's all about two characters played by Finn Wolfhard and Julianne Moore. One struggling with what is important in life and another struggling in being a good mother instead of acheaving that at her job. The acting was okay, the story passable. It's easy to follow but not really interesting that I want to watch it again in the future.

When You Finish Saving the World is the epitome of an actor's directorial debut since it focuses on complicated people and their messy relationships. It's a film about appreciating the people right in front of you and respecting their success regardless of if you understand it that's hindered by the characters' inhospitable nature, making it a deliberately frustrating watch even at less than 90 minutes long.

The two leads are almost too good at nailing their characters and how they deliver every single line of dialogue. Julianne Moore is very convincing as someone who is way too literal and spends most of her day checked out until she finds something to obsess over and then goes too far in the other direction. Finn Wolfhard is equally convincing as an awkward self-obsessed teenager and it says a lot that their best scene together is without dialogue.

It's really impressive how obvious it is that this has been written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. The intentionally awkward and specific dialogue matches some of his previous performances as well as fitting the tone. There's a few nice shots but this is a film that puts performances front and centre. However, his greatest strength as writer & director is in how satisfying the ending is as everything finally goes quiet and lets a moment sink in.

Like mother, like son, and son and mother don't like each other.

Why does it seem that the newfound subgenre "cringeworthy" seems to be relegated to comedy? This one may have broken the mold. When You Finish Saving The World is most certainly a drama, and one that made me want to crawl out of my skin.

As two generations of misguided self-do-gooding profiteers of ego poke at each other's motives while simultaneously pretending the other does not exist, the damage they do to themselves and their own self image is a big pill to swallow.

This is a well acted, no budget watchable train wreck to which you just might relate.

Check it out. It's pretty funny.

When You Finish Saving the World, directed by Jesse Eisenberg, runs for 88 minutes and presents a story that feels both disconnected from reality and oddly frustrating to watch. The film follows Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard) and his mother Evelyn (Julianne Moore), two characters who are meant to be navigating their strained relationship but come across as exaggerated caricatures of real people. Unfortunately, the characters' behaviors and interactions feel so far removed from anything believable that it becomes difficult to connect with any part of their story.

The biggest issue with this film is the way the characters are written and developed. Instead of offering any relatable qualities or depth, both Ziggy and Evelyn (along with most of the supporting characters) feel like hollow, over-the-top versions of real people. Their personalities are frustratingly one-dimensional, almost to the point of parody. It's hard to watch their interactions without feeling an overwhelming sense of cringe and discomfort. While some films successfully use exaggerated characters to make a point or add humor, When You Finish Saving the World doesn't manage to do either. The characters lack any redeeming qualities that would make their quirks engaging or their struggles emotionally resonant.

The story flows naturally within its own twisted reality, but that only seems to exacerbate the disconnect between the characters and the audience. While the movie may have intended to explore the complexities of familial relationships or generational differences, it instead feels like an exercise in frustration. The characters' interactions are more likely to elicit eye-rolls or exasperation than any sort of emotional engagement. Watching the film, it's hard to imagine anyone feeling anything other than discomfort or irritation at the exaggerated and often unlikable personalities on display.

By the end, I found myself wondering what the film was trying to achieve. While it flows easily enough within its strange, unrealistic world, the lack of believable character development made it impossible for me to become invested in the story. Instead of walking away with any sense of connection or reflection, I was left feeling mostly frustrated and disengaged.

In conclusion, When You Finish Saving the World struggles with the same issue that plagues many films-it offers characters that feel like overblown versions of real people, but with none of the relatability or charm needed to make them work. Despite its natural flow, the film is more likely to evoke cringe than anything else. I give it a 5 out of 10.