December 2, 2025
FILM: ETERNITY
DIRECTED BY: DAVID FREYNE
STARRING: MILES TELLER, ELIZABETH OLSEN, CALLUM TURNER
RATING: 2 ½ out of 4 stars
Eternity opens with an older couple, Joan and Larry, who are arguing in a car while on the way to a party. Their squabble is typical of a two people who have been together for 65 years. Upon reaching the party, a photo is shown of a younger version of Joan with a man who died during the Korean War. He is not Larry but Joan’s first husband Luke. While at the party, Larry dies and soon finds himself in the afterlife – but he is a much younger version of himself, played by Miles Teller. He is greeted by his AC (Afterlife Coordinator) Anna, played by Oscar-winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who lets him know that he has 7 days to decide which afterlife “world” he wants to live in eternally. Complications ensue as Joan, now played by Elizabeth Olsen, also arrives and she must make her choice. The problem: her first husband Luke (Callum Turner) is there waiting for her to spend eternity with him.
Okay, hopefully you have all that for it’s the basic premise of the film. Would you choose your long-time spouse to spend eternity with or your first love even if it occurred during a short-lived period in your past? This is the central question that Joan faces and it is the crux of the plot. It feels a bit like a romantic comedy scenario that might have been developed for Doris Day back in the early 1960s. Miles Teller even looks like Rock Hudson who appeared with Day in several such box office hits at the time. Luke is the “other guy” making the situation a conundrum for her. Because Joan is once again a younger version of herself from the era, Elizabeth Olsen plays her as a combination of a woman who has lived for 65 years with another man while also being an old-fashioned woman who has to choose between men. She’s fulfilling her 1950’s role. Kudos to the costume department because even what she wears fits the earlier period.
The problem is that the film isn’t really as funny as some of those earlier movies were. Yes, there’s the male competition for the woman that has to be resolved after a series of verbal and physical altercations. However, the comedy isn’t played up enough for us to really feel like we are in a 1950s/60s romantic comedy. Of course, fitting for how Blacks were portrayed on film during that time, Anna’s purpose is primarily to serve Larry. Da’Vine Joy Randolph elevates the character though by coming across as realistic, sensitive, forward-thinking, and a bit sassy. Anna never is given much more development though. The same is true of John Early as Ryan, who is Luke’s AC. He comes across as another minority, gay, who knows quite a bit about Luke’s sex life. While there’s even a hint that he might have had relations with Luke, the film cops out by surprisingly making Ryan a “one woman man” later in the film.
It’s one of the other issues I have with the film: it doesn’t take enough chances. There could have been several options for Joan, Larry, and Luke to take which would have put the film in a more contemporary mindset but it doesn’t go there. (You can read into this what you want…) Granted, these are characters who are essentially living their 1950s selves so their choices realistically would be much more traditional. Still, as is, the story feels a bit stale for today. For those who also want some real tear-jerker moments, the film doesn’t really have them either. Like the comedy, the emotions are a bit muted.
The actors are all okay as they are playing less than modern versions of their characters. None really rises to any great heights though to make us care more about them. Callum Turner is new to me and I don’t quite get what the fuss is about him. He’s fine and has a bit of an edge but the way he’s described throughout the film one might assume he is the man of all men. Again, this might be due to Joan’s brief memory of him but still… I don’t get the attraction.
Because the world in which they have entered is a “junction” before the dead choose their eternal lives, nothing looks overly well-designed or pretty. In fact, the sets look very stagey and cheap. This is also a likely choice to capture the earlier era but there really aren’t any significant attempts made to dress them up into something more realistic.
There have been better films about characters who die suddenly, such as Defending Your Life and Heaven Can Wait. The former is much more philosophical than Eternity is and the latter is much funnier. I think filmmaker David Freyne played it too safe here and as a result left us with a movie that feels a bit flat and old-fashioned rather than a riskier game changer. No doubt some people will appreciate the film though. For others, just lower your expectations.
Eternity is currently playing in theaters everywhere.
FILM: ETERNITY
DIRECTED BY: DAVID FREYNE
STARRING: MILES TELLER, ELIZABETH OLSEN, CALLUM TURNER
RATING: 2 ½ out of 4 stars
Eternity opens with an older couple, Joan and Larry, who are arguing in a car while on the way to a party. Their squabble is typical of a two people who have been together for 65 years. Upon reaching the party, a photo is shown of a younger version of Joan with a man who died during the Korean War. He is not Larry but Joan’s first husband Luke. While at the party, Larry dies and soon finds himself in the afterlife – but he is a much younger version of himself, played by Miles Teller. He is greeted by his AC (Afterlife Coordinator) Anna, played by Oscar-winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who lets him know that he has 7 days to decide which afterlife “world” he wants to live in eternally. Complications ensue as Joan, now played by Elizabeth Olsen, also arrives and she must make her choice. The problem: her first husband Luke (Callum Turner) is there waiting for her to spend eternity with him.
Okay, hopefully you have all that for it’s the basic premise of the film. Would you choose your long-time spouse to spend eternity with or your first love even if it occurred during a short-lived period in your past? This is the central question that Joan faces and it is the crux of the plot. It feels a bit like a romantic comedy scenario that might have been developed for Doris Day back in the early 1960s. Miles Teller even looks like Rock Hudson who appeared with Day in several such box office hits at the time. Luke is the “other guy” making the situation a conundrum for her. Because Joan is once again a younger version of herself from the era, Elizabeth Olsen plays her as a combination of a woman who has lived for 65 years with another man while also being an old-fashioned woman who has to choose between men. She’s fulfilling her 1950’s role. Kudos to the costume department because even what she wears fits the earlier period.
The problem is that the film isn’t really as funny as some of those earlier movies were. Yes, there’s the male competition for the woman that has to be resolved after a series of verbal and physical altercations. However, the comedy isn’t played up enough for us to really feel like we are in a 1950s/60s romantic comedy. Of course, fitting for how Blacks were portrayed on film during that time, Anna’s purpose is primarily to serve Larry. Da’Vine Joy Randolph elevates the character though by coming across as realistic, sensitive, forward-thinking, and a bit sassy. Anna never is given much more development though. The same is true of John Early as Ryan, who is Luke’s AC. He comes across as another minority, gay, who knows quite a bit about Luke’s sex life. While there’s even a hint that he might have had relations with Luke, the film cops out by surprisingly making Ryan a “one woman man” later in the film.
It’s one of the other issues I have with the film: it doesn’t take enough chances. There could have been several options for Joan, Larry, and Luke to take which would have put the film in a more contemporary mindset but it doesn’t go there. (You can read into this what you want…) Granted, these are characters who are essentially living their 1950s selves so their choices realistically would be much more traditional. Still, as is, the story feels a bit stale for today. For those who also want some real tear-jerker moments, the film doesn’t really have them either. Like the comedy, the emotions are a bit muted.
The actors are all okay as they are playing less than modern versions of their characters. None really rises to any great heights though to make us care more about them. Callum Turner is new to me and I don’t quite get what the fuss is about him. He’s fine and has a bit of an edge but the way he’s described throughout the film one might assume he is the man of all men. Again, this might be due to Joan’s brief memory of him but still… I don’t get the attraction.
Because the world in which they have entered is a “junction” before the dead choose their eternal lives, nothing looks overly well-designed or pretty. In fact, the sets look very stagey and cheap. This is also a likely choice to capture the earlier era but there really aren’t any significant attempts made to dress them up into something more realistic.
There have been better films about characters who die suddenly, such as Defending Your Life and Heaven Can Wait. The former is much more philosophical than Eternity is and the latter is much funnier. I think filmmaker David Freyne played it too safe here and as a result left us with a movie that feels a bit flat and old-fashioned rather than a riskier game changer. No doubt some people will appreciate the film though. For others, just lower your expectations.
Eternity is currently playing in theaters everywhere.