In the 2000s, romantic comedies took the media by storm, with cult classics such as 10 Things I Hate About You and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. With Hollywood’s new focus on horror and biopics, rom-coms have become outdated. We’ve seen this with titles starring big names like Anne Hathaway and Sydney Sweeney that fail to garner critical acclaim and often fall flat, contributing to Hollywood’s new lackluster side.
In better news for Hollywood, A2’s new film Eternity introduces a new rom-com theme in their discernible movie. The movie brings a unique nuance to the rom-com scene, in which Larry (Miles Teller, Top Gun) is sent to an alternate reality after dying, where he can choose his everlasting Eternity. The only problem is his wife. He’s waiting for his wife’s arrival to their eternal end together, or that’s what he expected to happen. His wife, Joan (played by Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision), arrives happy to be reunited with her husband, until her late husband, Luke (played by Callum Turner, Boys In The Boat), who was tragically killed in the Korean War with only two years of marriage on their belt, arrives on the scene, and everything changes.
Changes she wished could’ve been reversed when seeing her first husband, the changes of his death, and the memories they could’ve had ruminate in her mind.
This ruminating causes a conflict for Joan, “Do I choose Larry, whom I’ve spent 65 years of my life with already, or should I choose to spend an eternity making up for the missed opportunity with Luke.
That’s the plot for the movie that left many viewers wondering, “Who would I spend my Eternity with?” “Which Eternity would I pick?” “Would I regret the choice of my Eternity?” The choice of an Eternity brings a new idea to a rom-com that hasn’t been done for over a decade: a creative take on the postmortem triangle of love.
It’s such a creative concept, yet not entirely new, and I’m surprised that it hasn’t been done before.
It serves a purpose of love, especially in the modern world. For example, the 2025 film Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey), Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), and Chris Evans (Captain America), also explores a love triangle and addresses materialism in the modern dating scene. Dakota Johnson, who plays a matchmaker, has to decide whether or not to be materialistic and get with a rich man who tries to pursue her, or stay with an ex who isn’t wealthy or has any prospects for her in the future.
(SPOILER WARNING)
The materialistic side of this movie is similar to Dakota’s version: she chooses the man she’s most familiar with. Instead of picking the hot heart-throb that she once called her own, she decided the man with whom she spent 65 years of her life, because in reality, we all can’t be materialistic.
The prospects for rom-coms after two stellar movies give a glimmer of hope for indie film in Hollywood, especially for A24 (given that it’s the distributor). Materialists made over 100 million dollars with a 20 million dollar budget, and with Eternity, time will tell for its Eternity.
Eternity made me, my friend, and others laugh, smile, and cry; it was the perfect movie, in my opinion. No flaws, it makes you wonder if you’re cut out for your Eternity.
