There are plenty of new movies to stream this week, but I'm going to advocate that you put down the remote, head to your local theater and watch "Eternity" instead. That's because this romantic comedy is one of the best rom-coms I've seen in years, and one of my favorite movies of the year so far.
Look, I'm as shocked as anyone that I'm saying a rom-com is a must-watch. I typically don't go for the genre, especially when it is masquerading as a Christmas movie, which thankfully, "Eternity" isn't. No, this movie instead presents a remarkable premise: "What if you had to choose who to spend the rest of eternity with, and what if there was more than one option?"
What is 'Eternity' about?
"Eternity" starts out with an elderly Larry Cutler (Miles Teller) and his wife Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) driving to a gender reveal party for one of their grandkids. At the gender reveal, Larry kicks the bucket, and then finds himself in a hotel, where it's revealed to him that he died, and he's now the version of himself that he was at his happiest.
Now, Larry has to decide where to spend eternity, and there are some great options. There's a version of the 1850s Irish countryside where you can spend your afterlife, thankfully, this time without having to worry about the Irish Potato Famine. There's also a Weimar Republic eternity you can go to, which claims it's “Now with 100% less Nazis.”
But before Larry can head off to his afterlife, he's waiting to see if Joan will join him. She does, sadly, die on Earth, but when she arrives to choose her afterlife, she finds out it's not just Larry waiting for her. Her first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), died in the Korean War and has been waiting for Joan for decades, bartending in limbo while hoping one day he'd get a chance to spend eternity with her.
'Eternity' is about the journey, not the destination
While Joan ultimately does choose between Larry and Luke, that conclusion is not why this romantic comedy is such a delight. If anything, it's the weakest part of the film; bloated and bittersweet, it left me a bit unsatisfied. Then again, given the premise for this movie, someone was always going to be disappointed in the end.
Along the way, I laughed, I had my heartstrings pulled at, and connected with these characters, even going as far as to consider what I would do in a similar situation. Which is exactly what a great romantic comedy should do.
"Eternity," rather, is about the journey, and quite literally, the friends we made along the way. The casting in this movie is brilliant. Teller, Olsen and Turner are all great to watch as the world's most awkward throuple, and they each have great chemistry with each other. Even the older versions of Larry and Joan, played by Barry Primus and Betty Buckley, respectively, are a delight to watch in the movie's opening scenes.
The star of the movie, though, is Da'Vine Joy Randolph, who plays Anna, Larry's afterlife coordinator. She's brilliant playing off anyone this movie throws at her, including her fellow afterlife coordinator, Ryan (John Early). You become invested in their dynamic with their clients, not just the dynamic between the movie's core trio.
"Eternity" isn't just well cast. It's also well-written. There are little things the movie rewards you for noticing, including that, despite looking like movie stars, Larry and Joan still act like they're senior citizens, whereas Luke, who died young, still acts like the young soldier he was when he left this Earth.
So while the ending didn't quite work for me — it frankly almost has three endings, and probably could have ditched one of them — by the time "Eternity" was over, I was still happy to have spent the hour and 54 minutes watching this rom-com that I did. Because along the way, I laughed, I had my heartstrings pulled at, and connected with these characters, even going as far as to consider what I would do in a similar situation. Which is exactly what a great romantic comedy should do.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
