Eternity

by Mike McGranaghan

Those of us who ponder an afterlife often envision it in similar terms. Part of that vision is spending forever with our spouse or significant other. But what about people who had two earthly spouses? What does the afterlife look like for them?

This is the dilemma faced by Joan Cutler (Elizabeth Olsen) in Eternity. Her first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), died in the Korean War not long after they were married. Second husband Larry (Miles Teller) died after more than 60 years of marriage. Upon arriving at a heavenly way station, she’s reunited with both men. (It’s a rule that the deceased physically appear as they were at the age they were happiest, allowing the trio to be uniformly attractive thirtysomethings.) “Afterlife Consultants” Anna (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) and Ryan (John Early) reveal that Joan must pick one specific afterlife destination and only one man to share it with.

With that premise established, the movie becomes a screwball comedy about Joan’s decision-making process. Should she choose the life she never got to have with Luke or opt to continue the familiar marital journey she and Larry have had? Humor arises from her frenzied back-and-forth logic, as well as from how the guys use every trick in the book to curry favor with her. There’s an old-fashioned tone to Eternity. It feels like something that would have been made in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, with Goldie Hawn trying to choose between Burt Reynolds and James Caan. Olsen, Teller, and Turner bring the necessary chemistry to make the dynamic work.

Additional laughs are derived from the various types of eternities. The way station is conceived like a convention, with representatives from each afterlife working their stands, competing to attract buyers. There’s a smoking afterlife (where the nicotine won’t kill you a second time), a “Man Free World,” and a way to spend forever inside Studio 54. Many of these gags are in the background, so it’s fun when you spot one.

Eternity becomes more serious and emotional during its third act. Olsen sells Joan’s confusion as she contemplates the very different forms of love she has for her husbands. Her anguish is real. Director David Freyne and co-writer Pat Cunnane devise compelling reasons why Joan should select each man, a trait that pulls your own thinking in different directions as the story progresses. To the film’s credit, the stakes for all three major players seem sufficiently high.

The downside is that a sense of repetition starts to set in after a while. Joan’s indecision goes around and around, hitting the same beats. That’s mildly frustrating, especially given that the plot often feels as if it’s on the verge of doing something truly subversive. We keep waiting for the moment where Joan’s quandary takes us to a place we don’t expect yet it consistently adheres to a “safe” rom-com template.

Although it studiously avoids shaking up the general feel-good vibe, the performances, the jokes, and the presence of the always wonderful Da’Vine Joy Randolph are enough to provide decent entertainment. Eternity doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it manufactures a wheel that gets the job done.

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