The romcom is filled with all sorts of premises, from the sweet, clever, to the totally insane or just plain icky. Eternity is one of the great pitches, that promises a fun time and maybe something really special. I don’t know if this will become movie Eternity for couples out there, but hey, they’ll at least have fun along the way.
Larry Cutler (Miles Teller) is dead. But that’s ok, he’s now on a train to the main junction, where he has to choose which afterlife he wants to live in for the rest of eternity (I get it, A24! Nice job) with his Afterlife Coordinator Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). Larry decides to wait until his wife of 50+ years Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) succumbs to her cancer. When she does, Larry meets her…but he’s not alone. Anna’s rival AC Ryan (John Early) brings over Luke (Callum Turner), Joan’s first husband who died in the war…and waited over 50 years for her.
AAAAAAWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!! I just swoon and get giddy thinking about that premise, and it’s endless possibilities. So did A24, who probably financed the movie right then and there, and said to start filming tomorrow to David Freyne and Pat Cunnane without a finished script. As a plot, Eternity never quite lives up to that limitless potential. It’s not a waste, but feels trapped in the endless possibilities and doesn’t make enough decisions. The world is fungible and flexible enough to keep you excited for new crazy ideas that hit you out of left field. Otherwise it let’s you swoon in the dazzling beaches and incredible mountains of some of the eternities we get to visit. I wish the writers gave the conclusion some sort of once over on where the script goes. I think for the story they eventually decide upon, it rings true, but it’s not as deep and poignant as Eternity the movie exists in their heads. If they had dug a little deeper and used the world more…but hey, that’s what Eternity is for right? To be tantalized by endless possibilities.
But that’s ok, cause there’s a decent amount of laughs along the way. Despite the crazy afterlife, we’ve got a standard romcom set up of a love triangle and two BFFs. Our trio is having a blast here, and mines way more humor than I expected there to be. Miles Teller and Elizabeth Olsen are donning these greatest generation speech patterns that makes for a silly chuckle everytime either opens their mouth. I’ve heard dialogue like this from my grandparents, and it grounds their scenes wonderfully as a showcase for day to day love and marriage. Callum Turner looks dashing and hunky as ever as the fallen soldier beefcake he’s supposed to be. Eternity’s script has fun with him getting wound up everytime he gets called “perfect” eventually lashing out in hilariously daffy ways I didn’t expect but enjoyed everytime. I was most impressed though with John Early and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who take nothing parts and mine I think every possible laugh they could with the material they’re given. They’re not pantheon romcom BFF’s but they’re not far off either. I look forward to Eternity 2 about them if this one cooks.
Eternity is perfect date night material. It’s deep enough without becoming saccharine, funny enough without becoming stupid. Plus, it’s got 2 of the hottest people ever, Callum Turner and Elizabeth Olsen, with Miles Teller motormouthing like an idiot for your amusement while Da’Vine Joy Randolph and John Early alley oop from the sides for the big laughs. You get to cuddle, laugh, and maybe cry together. And, most importantly, don’t have to decide on your Eternity yet. Remember, do what makes you happy!