I stumbled upon Seeking A Friend for the End of the World at a Redbox in an old gas station, not thinking anything of the unpopular film. Keira Knightley is extremely talented and I figured I could tolerate another one of Steve Carell’s films, so I took a chance and rented the movie. Turns out, it is now one of my favorite films. The movie follows two characters on an adventure to be with their loved ones before a meteor destroys earth. The first 15 minutes of the film encompass the traditional hum drum of end of the world parties and the hectic scramble to complete bucket lists before everyone’s impending doom. But as the story progresses an original and quirky love story comes to surface.

Penny (Knightley) runs off with her neighbor Dodge (Carrell) who promises he can get her on a plane to see her family in England before it’s too late. Then Dodge receives a letter from his high school sweetheart and wants to reunite with her before the end. Both characters are complete opposites of each other making their journey all the more interesting.

As the story unravels so do the characters in one of the greatest romances I’ve watched on screen. I never would have guessed that Carell and Knightly could have on screen chemistry, but through their incredible performances it became so believable tears were impossible for me to avoid.

Not only that, the soundtrack fit the scenarios perfectly with the songs “The Air That I Breathe” by the Hollies, “Stay with Me” by the Walker Brothers and “Wouldn’t it be Nice” by the Beach Boys. In addition, the film has a great screenplay making the dialogue between Dodge and Penny especially heartfelt and moving.

Specifically on the actors performances, Carell was much better than I expected him to be in such a  serious role, straying greatly from his typical roles in comedy. Knightly stepped up to playing such an energetic character, standing out as the lead and overshadowing Carell throughout the film. Overall this movie earns the biggest points for acting, writing and directing and in my opinion this makes it a definite must see.