Eternity Review - Whimsical, romantic, hilarious, & charming. One of the best movies of the year.
- Chase Gifford
- 9 hours ago
- 5 min read
“The Most Romantic Love Story Isn't Romeo and Juliet Who Died Together, but Grandpa and Grandma Who Grew Old Together.” - unknown
Sometimes you can read a movie trailer like a book. You can tell if it’s going to be good or not in those brief two or three minutes. Then there’s instances where it will downright fool you either promising something great, giving you something terrible or it’s an awful trailer for what ends up being a top ten contender. I think there’s a third category as well where it could go either way. It could end up as a middle-of-the-road effort forgotten by the time you get to the parking lot. I hoped for the best with Eternity but I didn’t expect what it ultimately delivered. Luckily, it’s in a category where the trailer is fine but the movie itself is phenomenal.
I can add Eternity to my list of rom-coms that fit what it means to be a well-crafted movie that doesn’t sacrifice story or originality for some kind of misguided schlock like so many of the sub-genre that are lost to time. It’s the same for basically any genre really. Horror can be mindless and vacant delivering an empty shell achieving very little if anything at all. Or the characters can matter, the story can matter making the scares all the most effective. With rom-coms you can do the paint-by-numbers routine and make some money and be forgotten. A man and a woman fall for one another. One betrays the other, they break up, and then it’s a full on sprint to the airport or train station to proclaim their love for one another and live happily ever after. It’s so boring. When I say yes to the question, “Do you like rom-coms?” I clarify by saying I like the ones that care about character development and story progression. The horror only works in a scary movie if the characters matter. The love is only believable if the characters matter.
Some of my favorites? About Time is a masterpiece of the genre. La La Land is extraordinary and it features a fantastic soundtrack (Bonus!). Brooklyn, although not a comedy, is a tender, sorrowful triumph. Crazy Stupid Love is clever, hilarious, and sentimental. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is unbelievably funny and sexy and hopeful. And now I can add Eternity to the list.
As I was watching the movie, I couldn’t help but think of Albert Brook’s 1991 dramedy, Defending Your Life. It possesses a similar imagined version of what the afterlife would be like. The most consistent theme across the two of them is one of disappointment. All the promise of what was to come when we die and instead it’s a trial of your life or in the case of Eternity, you pick one eternity to live forever and no do-overs. There’s a coldness to it in a place that was supposed to be extraordinary. I think where the themes come into play is that it was never about the place you were going, but how you spent your life and who you chose to be with in the end and beyond.
In Eternity, the end is merely the beginning of forever. You awaken on a train arriving at a way-station of the afterlife. There you have one week to decide your forever – what you want your reality to be for the rest of time. There is Eternity 365: QueerWorld. “No Straights Allowed.” Sort of self-explanatory. Eternity 666: World of Satanism. “Sinners welcome!” Ooh, sounds scary. Eternity 156: Workout World. “All of the PAIN, None of the GAIN.” Sounds awful. Eternity #520: Capitalist World. “What’s the point of being rich …if someone else isn’t poor?” (Actual pamphlets handed out at the screening for the movie.) (Pics below)
First, Larry chokes on a handful of pretzels even though Joan has warned him countless times. He wakes up after dying at his great-grandkids’ gender reveal party. Talk about a downer, huh? It takes Larry a bit to realize what exactly happened. Luckily his AC (Afterlife Coordinator), Anna, is there to help him find his way. It’s shortly after he arrives that Joan, who had cancer, arrives to find Larry waiting there for her. But to the shock of everyone, Larry, Joan, and even Anna, there was someone else waiting for her, for a measly 65 years. No big deal. So who is this mystery person? Her first husband, Luke, who died in the Korean War. Uh oh! Suddenly Joan has a massive decision to make – Who will she spend her Eternity with? Her first love or the man she made a life with for over sixty years?
The romance is lovely. It’s lived-in, feeling authentic and relatable. There’s a tragedy in the loss of such profound love but a catharsis in finding it all over again in someone else’s arms. The humor is charming, earned, and clever. The premise is creative and endlessly entertaining. The characters are funny, fully realized, and complicated. The concept of a procedural process to the afterlife is both frustrating and hilariously unexpected. The setting being borderline dilapidated, as if it should have been updated twenty years ago is somehow unfortunate but also provides a sort of familiarity like a smelly uncle who gives good hugs. You appreciate his affection but lay off the booze, man!
The lead trio is effortlessly likeable. Their chemistry is palpable even in their moments of contention. Miles Teller as Larry nails the 50’s era man, sort of inept but loving and prides himself as a provider for his family. Elizabeth Olsen (my future wife🤞) as Joan plays a conflicted but strong woman of her era who is given an impossible situation to decide in what amounts to a blink of an eye. Callum Turner as Luke plays classically handsome but lonely with genuine charisma. All together they are fascinating to watch as they navigate something so hopelessly insane.
A standout is Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Anna but anyone who saw her award winning performance in The Holdovers isn’t surprised that she is terrific in Eternity. She is the heart and soul of the humor but also provides a soothing, comforting presence for those who have passed on and can’t seem to find their footing. Her AC counterpart and self-made competition is John Early as Ryan who is equally as comical. Their headbutting is nothing short of hysterical.
Eternity is one of my favorite, unexpected triumphs of the year. It’s intelligent, heartwarming, witty, romantic, and unceasingly charming. I hoped for the best and got something far better. From characters to story to setting, it just works. Such a wonderful surprise.
Rated PG-13 For: sexual content and some strong language
Runtime: 112 minutes
After Credits Scene: No
Genre: Rom-com, Drama, Fantasy
Starring: Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Directed By: David Freyne
Out of 10
Story: 10/ Acting: 10/ Directing: 8.5/ Visuals: 8
OVERALL: 9.5/10
Buy to Own: Yes.
Check out the trailer below: