Eternity Review: Entertaining and Modern Take on the Afterlife

Miles Teller and Elizabeth Olsen headline Eternity, a film about making the impossible choice of who you will spend the rest of your life with.

Synopsis:

In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Olsen) is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with (Teller), and her first love (Callum Turner), who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.

Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, Callum Turner, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, John Early

Release Date: In Theaters November 26th

Olsen and Teller Shine

Credit: A24

Eternity is a movie that very easily could've crumbled if not for some great lead performances. The plot is absolutely chaotic and wild, meaning that we need some great actors to make it compelling. You get that with both Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller in this film. Olsen specifically gets the most to do, being the main focus of our two male co-leads. The beginning of her performance is especially impressive, as she has to somehow channel a older woman who's just found out that she's passed away and is now in the afterlife. You can hear it in her accent but also in her mannerisms, so much that it feels like the same character that we meet in the opening scene. She has amazing chemistry with Teller, but not just in a loving way. They almost bicker as much as they show love to each other, making for a realistic depiction of modern day relationships. There's themes in this film that will hit home with all generations, but the chemistry between Teller and Olsen will specifically hit a spot with older couples.

I think my favorite part about Teller's performance is seeing the real growth that he goes on throughout the film. Early on he has this stern demeanor and really only thinks about things with a single focus: himself. Once Olsen's character finds her way back into his life, he needs to re-define his purpose and how it is being threatened by Turner's character. He takes this too far and in the wrong direction for most of the film, causing Olsen to go absolutely nuts on him in certain scenes. But by the end we can see that he's really changed for the better and he becomes a very endearing main character that you really do want to root for. Callum Turner has to really give a specific performance here and although it doesn't do much to make you root for his side, it's still capable alongside these two star actors. It was very refreshing to see Da'Vine Joy Randolph again after her Oscar-winning turn in The Holdovers. It by all means could have been a really simple performance from her but she brings a hilarious and also emotional supporting role.

Perfect Comedic Timing All Around

Credit: A24

The biggest shock that came out of this film for me was how funny it was. Sure, you can tell from the trailer that there will be some humor, but not at the level there actually is. This is as much of a comedy as it is a romance or drama, something that had me dying laughing in pretty much every other scene. The situation our characters find themselves in is enough to get you laughing, but it's really the line delivery and comedic timing from all the actors that makes it as funny as it is. They don't at all shy away from how ridiculous the situation is, something I give huge credit to director/writer David Freyne for. There's points where I got Challengers vibes from the main trio, with the two men doing their absolute best to one up each other to win over Olsen's hand. This is where Olsen and Teller really shine due to the history shared by their characters. After having spent 60+ years together, they just work off each other so well and are equally able to put each other in their place. You can tell Randolph had so much fun with her lines, portraying exactly how an audience member would be if they were placed in the middle of this situation.

That's really one of the best things about this movie: the direction and acting really makes you feel like you are inside this fictional afterlife. It comes with the comedy that I've been talking about in this section, which is a mix of both dark and outdated humor. With the idea that our main trio are all well into their older years, even with the identity of younger age, the cast is really able to play in this sandbox. It's a ridiculous ride for the entire runtime and my theater was clearly enjoying the comedy due to how loud it was throughout the screening.

Exploration Of The Afterlife

Credit: A24

The afterlife is a topic that captures our psyche as humans constantly. Even if you don't have a religious bone in your body, everybody has thought at one point what will happen when we pass on. What will it look like? Will I be able to meet my loved ones? Will I be able to see my kids and grandkids from afar? I really respected the fact that this movie not only didn't shy away from this topic, but also answered every single one of those questions that are on everybody's mind. The rules are established very early on, as to not linger around in the audience's thoughts instead of focusing on the main character dynamics. But my point isn't that there aren't any plot holes, although that is nice, but more the creative approach they took to tackling this very sensitive topic. A big theme like this could very well have bogged down this film and made everything within it just feel like a failed attempt at exploring something so pivotal to our society's thoughts. But Freyne really uses it perfectly, tackling it as half-satire and half-serious. This movie really asks many questions about what you would do if faced with some of these impossible questions that Olsen and Teller are asked at the beginning of the film. You may not leave with those answers, but it will certainly get you thinking about whatever relationships you do have in your life currently.

Slow Start and Dragged Out Ending

Credit: A24

Although I did really enjoy most of this film, it is definitely not without problems. To start, it did take me a little bit of time to really get into it. Although I noted it in the headline of this section, I'm not even sure "slow start" is the best way to describe the feeling I had. After the initial scene, the first 30 minutes or so are pretty fast-paced. We get thrown right into this fictional afterlife and get a crash course of how it works through Teller's eyes. I think this and the more comedic timing of things just overwhelmed me early on. It took me a second to really find myself enjoying the tone and once I did, I was super engaged, but that didn't come soon enough. Maybe it's something that wouldn't bother me on a rewatch but it definitely did on this watch. Additionally, I thought the ending wasn't perfect. The decision that Olsen makes in itself will ruffle a lot of feathers, but that wasn't totally my problem with the ending. I just feel that the film builds up to her decision, it happens, then everything after that is just painfully predictable and uninteresting. It really starts to drag, especially when you can kind of figure out exactly what's going to happen. The final few scenes are very sweet and anchored by some great performances (Randolph's final scene... she's the best), but overall the last 20 minutes really started to lose me. It's really important for a film like this to stick the landing so this one not totally getting there did leave more of a sour taste than I wanted walking out.

Final Thoughts

If nothing else, Eternity is both a fun time and one that will leave you thinking. It doesn't do any incredibly deep and complex storytelling, but it does delve into themes that should stick with most audiences. Add that onto some great lead performances and you'll be thoroughly entertained by this film like I was. Thanks again to A24 for inviting me, go see this movie when it comes out!

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Eternity is currently ranked 36th out of the 88 new releases that I've seen this year.

Editor's Note: I've only included the top 20 from my 2025 new releases list, for editing purposes.