Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a 2012 American apocalyptic romantic comedy-drama film, written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Steve Carell and Keira Knightley as a pair of strangers who meet and form an unexpected bond as they help each other find closure in their lives before an asteroid wipes out life on Earth. The inspiration for the title comes from a line in Chris Cornell's song "Preaching the End of the World", from his 1999 debut solo album Euphoria Morning. The film was theatrically released on June 22, 2012, in the United States by Focus Features. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, earning $9.6 million on a $10 million budget. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc and made available for digital streaming in the United States on October 23, 2012. Plot In New York City, a breaking news report informs the world that a mission to stop an incoming 70-mile wide asteroid known as "Matilda" has failed and that it will make impact in three weeks, destroying all life on Earth. Dodge Petersen and his wife, Linda, listen to the broadcast parked on the side of the road. When he expresses indifference, she looks disgusted and abandons both the vehicle and their marriage. Dodge stops going to his job at an insurance company where one of his co-workers has committed suicide. He also attends an end of the world party at the house of his best friend, where he politely avoids offers of heroin, the amorous intentions of a stranger and of his best friend's wife (on the latter, he says he cannot cheat with a married woman, but she points out that marriage means nothing now that civilization is going to end). A drunk man tells him he has never bedded so many women as now no-one cares about getting pregnancy or diseases. At home, Dodge reminisces about his high school sweetheart, Olivia, when he notices his neighbor Penny crying on the fire escape. She just broke up with her boyfriend Owen for making her miss her last opportunity to see her family in England. At her apartment, Penny gives Dodge three years worth of his mail that was incorrectly delivered to her and, in the process, unwittingly tells him that his wife was having an affair. Dodge storms off into the night, guzzling codeine-laced cough syrup and window cleaner in a suicide attempt.