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By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Combining a simple, love triangle formula with an afterlife concept yields nothing audiences haven’t already seen a thousand times previously. “Eternity” is a romantic comedy that is too cutesy to be anything more than a frivolous romp in the hay to be forgotten about the next day. The story itself is overly silly with plot holes that stick out like a sore thumb.
After a long life and 65 years of marriage, Larry (Miles Teller) and Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) perish a week apart, only to reunite in the afterlife. Unfortunately for Larry, Luke (Callum Turner), Joan’s first husband, has been waiting for her arrival since his death in the Korean War. With the impossible decision of where and who to spend eternity with looming over Joan, she struggles to find clarity. Luckily, or unluckily, their afterlife coordinators Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) and Ryan (John Early) are there to impose a deadline on the decision.
This is another increasingly common miss from A24. Directed by David Freyne, “Eternity” tries to inject life into the tired love triangle concept by having all the characters dead, which is interesting on the surface but ultimately fails to revive this rom-com. The main issue is Freyne ironically keeps the tone too light, opting for more of a sitcom type of vibe that strips away the gravitas of the weighty decision the main female character has to make. All that’s missing is the canned laughter. He concentrates on a cute brand of humor that elicits a chuckle here and there but lacks the hilarious punch to make it memorable. With the comedy, emotions, and romantic entanglement being very surface level, the lack of meaningful depth establishes a boring, ho-hum filmgoing experience.
Freyne smartly establishes a non-denominational afterlife setting. In fact, there’s no religion or religious influences at all, but there are a set of enforced rules with this afterlife that undermine the plot. For instance, the newly deceased are only allotted one week to decide on where to spend eternity, which is counterintuitive considering that the construct of time should hold no value in death. In addition, once the eternity is chosen, it is strictly forbidden for the souls to change their mind and leave that eternity. Doing so results in an unexplained police force capturing the escapees and sending them into the perpetual blackness of the void. Freyne implements these odd boundaries for the sole purpose to drive the story to its inevitable conclusion that is overly predictable.
With the exception of Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”), this is a misaligned cast incapable of executing a believable rom-com dynamic. Randolph’s outstanding line delivery provides the vast majority of comedy in this film. Even though this is a supporting role, her performance shines above the rest.
Unfortunately, the combination of Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner prove to be an incompatible trio. There is no convincing chemistry between any of them, leaving their performances forced and stale. For Turner, there is an excessive number of lines from nearly every main character speaking to how incredibly handsome and physically better he is than Teller in every way, almost willing the audience to believe it. It is a strange, running theme that persists throughout the film’s entirety. Meanwhile, Teller acts almost oblivious to Olsen’s plight, seemingly unfazed by her character’s pending decision that could end their 65-year relationship. It screams out to viewers that if he doesn’t care, then why should they?
This is a movie that tries desperately to be a combination of “The Notebook” and “Defending Your Life,” but lacks the passionate intensity and chemistry of Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, as well as the hilarious banter between Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep. Couples may choose to endure “Eternity” this Thanksgiving weekend, but it is nothing to be thankful for, and you certainly won’t be coming back for seconds.
This movie earns
