Seeking A Friend for The End of The World

Seeking a Friend For The End of The World was one of the more unique movie-going experiences I've had in quite some time.  Occasionally, I like to go see a movie having no idea what the plot is (well, clearly the end of the world is part of it, but beyond that, I had no idea) or what others thought of it.  I've had mixed results- the last movie I tried this with was Larry Crowne, which I wound up walking out of with 40 minutes left.  Most of the time, I do this when I like the star of the movie- I've been a lifelong fan of Tom Hanks, so I went to see Larry Crowne.  This time, it was Steve Carell's turn. 

I've been a fan of Carell's since The Office. I liked how he turned a clueless boss (and yes, he did pull some really obnoxious stuff at times) into a very human, fleshed out character, and there were hints that he could be a really good actor throughout the series.  He's also shined in several films, for me most notably Crazy Stupid Love, in which I thought he was brilliant as a character going through what seems to be the end of his marriage and the aftermath.

Seeking A Friend features Carell as Dodge Peterson, and in the film's opening scene he and his wife (actually played by his real-life wife) hear on the radio that an asteroid will hit Earth in about three weeks.  His wife gets out of the car and runs off, leaving him alone, until his neighbor (played by Keira Knightley) turns up outside his window, having missed her flight to see her family in England for the last time. 

I would recommend Seeking A Friend- not knowing anything about the plot, I was worried in the first part that it was going to get saccharine and the characters would have all these last minute epiphanies, but despite being an uneven film (it took a while for me to settle into it), I'd recommend it based on Carell's performance (very understated and played close to the vest until later in the film) and the chemistry between Carell and Knightley.