Have you ever thought about what happens after you die? We’re not necessarily talking Heaven and Hell or Valhalla here, just…what happens? Do you stay on the Earth in a different spiritual plane, or are you just bones in the ground and worm food? Or…does your soul move on to another place and start anew? That last theory is at the center of the new movie, Eternity, from Dating Amber director David Freyne.
Eternity is about an elderly man named Larry (The Gorge’s Miles Teller) who passes away while choking on a pretzel and finds himself with a choice to be made. With the help of his “Afterlife Coordinator,” Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph from The Holdovers), he must decide which of the “eternities” laid out before him he wants to spend his eternity in. He wants to wait for his wife of 65 years, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen from the Marvel Universe), to join him so they can make the decision together. And with Joan suffering from cancer, she should be along shortly.
And she does arrive shortly…but her first husband, a handsome soldier named Luke (Callum Turner from Green Room), is also waiting for her, and has been for 67 years. Joan must choose which of her two loves she wants to spend her eternity with, and each of them tries to convince her that they are the correct choice.
The screenplay for Eternity was written by Patrick Cunnane (Designated Survivor) along with Freyne, and it’s about as unique as a romantic comedy can get. It has all the usual trappings of the genre – it’s full of heart and humor, with just enough intrigue to keep things moving forward. But the love triangle combined with Joan’s seemingly impossible choice makes it fresh and interesting. It’s a rom-com with a twist.
The romance part of the equation stems from Joan having to choose between her first love, the handsome and dashing Luke, and the man she spent most of her life with, her supposed soulmate Larry. And with eternity itself on the line, the stakes could not get any higher for Joan. Despite all of his faults, the audience is clearly rooting for the cantankerous Larry, but there’s no denying that, even after 67 years being apart, there are still feelings between Joan and Luke. And Callum Turner’s Luke is hard to dislike.
The comedy part of the movie is delivered mostly by Miles Teller and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The incarnations of the characters in the afterlife are images of them when they were happiest in life, so Teller’s Larry is basically a cranky old man in the body of a handsome young man. And that combination is hysterical. Randolph is the clown to Teller’s straight man, providing him his afterlife guidance with plenty of wit and sarcasm. Much of this can be attributed to the film’s whip-smart writing, but it’s difficult to imagine another actress doing what Randolph does with the role. She’s hilarious.
For a movie that’s ultimately about a forever choice, Joan does change her mind a few times, and this back-and-forth indecision – and the guys’ reactions to it – leads to some fun twists and turns in the movie. Both Larry and Luke have made their afterlife choices, so not only is Joan choosing between her two loves, she’s choosing between their eternity choices as well. The ending may be predictable, but the path the movie takes getting there is anything but. And that’s what makes the movie so enjoyable.
Eternity is not your mother’s romantic comedy. Considering that the characters are mostly elderly people in the bodies of young’uns, it’s surprisingly hip and cool. And its premise keeps the movie and its audience on its toes. Even those who usually are not fans of rom-coms will like it. Those who usually are fans of rom-coms will love it.
GRADE: A
Rating: PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language
Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes
Release Date: November 26, 2025
Studio: A24
The post ‘Eternity’ Review: An Appealing Rom Com with a Fun Twist appeared first on ShowbizJunkies.
0 Comments