Love triangles are one of the trickiest situations in the history of world mythology and literature. The Iliad‘s Helen, Paris, and Menelaus. Queen Guenivere, King Arthur, and Lancelot. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), and Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid) in Casablanca. Godzilla, Mothra, and Kong in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire…. ok, well maybe not that one, but it’s one of the complex agonies of human existence. It’s hard enough to choose, but even more difficult to decide against the highest of possible stakes–you have a limited time to choose, and it persists into eternity.
When Larry Cutler (Miles Teller) ends up in the afterlife, he discovers that the afterlife isn’t exactly what anyone quite guessed. Upon landing in the afterlife’s bureaucratic holding area, you get assigned an Afterlife Coordinator, and have a week to decide which eternity (of many, many, MANY options) you’d like to spend the rest of your afterlife in.
Catch one: once you decide, it’s permanent and eternal. Catch two: Larry left his beloved wife of many years, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen), behind. He tries to stick around, before discovering that she passed shortly afterwards.
They meet in the afterlife, but Larry is surprised to find that her first husband, the fallen soldier Luke (Callum Turner), has been waiting six decades to be reunited with her. Joan has to choose between Larry, the husband she built her life with, and Luke, the buzzy first true love she never could, and she has a mere week to decide for the whole of the afterlife.
Elizabeth Olsen Delivers An Exceptional Performance in Eternity
While Miles Teller’s Larry Cutler is ostensibly the film’s protagonist, the heart and soul of Eternity is Elizabeth Olsen’s Joan. Olsen plays her character with a kind seriousness (it’s worth noting that she’s embodying a character whose personage was much older than her current, eternal appearance), but it’s her earnestness and emotional range that carry the performance.
Olsen gives the character enough charm to make for an enjoyable watch with some stellar line delivery, alongside moving emotional moments. Miles Teller also excels as a husband in disbelief around Joan’s unenviable choice, expecting her to choose her decades-long partnership, and slightly hurt that the choice is hard for her. As the younger, eternally patient Luke, Callum Turner suits the role well and handles its emotional beats with aplomb. The core cast excel, while John Early and Da’Vine Joy Randolph nearly steal the film each time they’re on screen as a pair of dueling afterlife coordinators.
What makes Eternity work at day’s end is a brilliant script, co-written by Pat Cunnane and director David Freyne. It’s a clever concept, a ticking-tock love triangle under surreal circumstances, that puts the characters under pressure given the implications of the choice. Creating an afterlife that has no moral implications (they’re clear that, good or bad alike, everyone gets an eternity of their choice) allows for a lot of fun to be had with its worldbuilding. Our introductions to various afterlives are well used for comedic intent, like Workout World, Infantilization Land (don’t ask), Queerworld, or a world without men (so popular they’re building a second one). Eternity handles the emotional beats well thanks to stellar performances and a rich arc that lands on a satisfying note, but it’s the detailed and humorous worldbuilding that allow it to stand out.
A Few Narrative Issues Aside, Eternity Is A Stellar High-Concept Rom-Com
As a whole, Eternity is a breezy, engaging, well-paced and scripted affair. The film’s biggest issue pertains to its will-they-won’t-they plotting, which gets slightly repetitive and slows the film’s pace around the third act. Joan’s indecision believably reflects the difficulties of the situation she’s in. On the other hand, as she understandably waffles in her choice, it does hit a moment plagued by cyclical plot beats (Larry’s frustration, Luke’s edge, Joan’s indecision). That said, there’s more than enough humorous surreality, surprising world detail, and afterlife coordinator visits to keep the narrative fresh overall. A little repetition and a few pacing issues aside, Eternity‘s a beautiful high concept rom-com.
After decades of decline in rom-com fortunes, a fresh new slate like Splitsville, Materialists, Hit Man, or Always Be My Maybe have played with classic tropes and stacked their casts to bring new life into the genre. As a cleverly original high-concept outing, Eternity is one of the best new rom-coms yet. Miles Teller and Callum Turner excel as a conflict-ridden pair united in their mutual love of Joan, while Elizabeth Olsen shines throughout. The trio have a great dynamic, the script works, and David Freyne’s direction is laden with intelligent choices. It’s fun, heartwarming, and loaded with moments that will make audiences laugh (alongside more than a few that will generate tears). It’s a winner and an absolute blast, the best rom-com of the year.
Eternity hits theaters on November 26, 2025.
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