Eternity
In A24’s very silly romcom Elizabeth Olsen plays a muddled soul who must choose between one of her late husbands to spend eternity with.
Heaven can’t wait: Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller and Callum Turner
Image courtesy of A24 Films.
Life is long. But eternity is even longer. It’s, like, forever. When Joan dies of cancer, she ends up in a holding area, a sort of giant conference centre selling various dream scenarios. There’s CelebrityWorld, SpaceWorld, CatholicWorld, Smoker’sWorld (“you can’t die from smoking twice”) and the prospect of a sunny, overcrowded beach. Joan has seven days to select her own Eternity, as well as which of her two late husbands to take with her…
Should one be willing to accept the absurdity of the film’s conceit, there is still the question of buying into Joan’s own particular quandary. With both her husbands – Luke (Callum Turner) and Larry (Miles Teller) – restored to their former youthful good looks, the physical side is not an issue. It should also be noted that Joan now looks like Elizabeth Olsen. Luke represents the passionate love of her life, before death snatched him away in the Korean War. And then there is Larry, who stood by her during her cancer diagnosis and helped her raise their children and grandkids. Larry gave her 65 years of marriage, Luke just the two. To help argue the case is Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), who is Larry’s Afterlife Coordinator, and Ryan (John Early), who has to persuade Joan to make the right decision.
While there are some light laughs made at the expense of corporate America and a consumer society that stretches into the Beyond (Heaven forbid!), Eternity pretty much flatlines from the off. As a squelchy parable about making our life choices count, its constant reminder that we are all mortal somewhat undercuts the comedy. For all we know, this could be the last day of our lives, so do we want to be watching this? More problematic is that the choice Joan makes feels unsatisfactory, in spite of earlier hints to the contrary.
What the film really lacks is wit and charm, particularly for a romantic fantasy. There are good moments from Callum Turner and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, but the central love between Olsen and Teller doesn’t ring true. If one glances back at cinema’s take on this genre: Here Comes Mr Jordan (1941), Heaven Can Wait (1943 and 1978) and A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Eternity didn’t stand a chance. And what does it say to current generations that porn and excessive drinking (and hangovers) are still available in the afterlife?
JAMES CAMERON-WLSON
Cast: Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, John Early, Olga Merediz, Betty Buckley, Barry Primus, Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
Dir David Freyne, Pro Trevor White and Tim White, Ex Pro Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller, Screenplay Pat Cunnane and David Freyne, Ph Ruairí O'Brien, Pro Des Zazu Myers, Ed Joe Sawyer, Music David Fleming, Costumes Angus Strathie, Sound Eugenio Battaglia.
Apple Original Films/Star Thrower Entertainment-A24 Films.
113 mins. USA. 2025. US Rel: 26 November 2025. UK Rel: 5 December 2025. Cert. 15.
