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Every once in a while, a film sneaks up on you with a charm you didn’t see coming. Eternity is exactly that kind of movie. It is one of the cutest films I’ve seen this year, a warmhearted afterlife comedy that balances sweetness, sincerity, and a lot of cute humor. I honestly did not expect it to be as funny as it is. Still, director David Freyne and writer Patrick Cunnane weave the emotional beats, the wit, and the vibrant production design together beautifully. The result is a movie that may not be perfect, but it is perfectly charming.
Eternity takes a familiar rom-com setup and gives it a surprisingly clever supernatural spin. Elizabeth Olsen stars as Joan, a recently deceased woman who arrives in the afterlife only to learn that she must make an impossible choice: which of her two late husbands she will spend infinity with. It is a love triangle for the ages, quite literally.
Joan’s first husband, Larry Cutler, is the man she spent 67 years of marriage with. He helped her build a family, supported her through terminal cancer, and created a full life with her. In the afterlife, Larry appears in his younger form, played with gentle charm and suburban sitcom-dad reliability by Miles Teller. The film’s version of heaven automatically de-ages everyone, a simple, effective device that lets the emotional stakes play out with a fresh, youthful lens.
Then there’s Luke, Joan’s first husband, played by Callum Turner, who died tragically in the Korean War. Luke has refused to move on for 67 years, waiting for the woman he adored to join him. Unlike Joan, he never remarried, never rebuilt, and never healed. His love for her has been frozen in time, unchanging and unwavering.
Joan’s arrival sets off a compelling, sometimes comedic duel between dependable Larry and smoldering Luke. She only has one week to decide who she will spend eternity with. Does she choose the man she lived her life with, or the man she was robbed of the chance to fully love?
Guiding (and sometimes meddling with) her journey are two afterlife coordinators played hilariously by John Early and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Their dynamic adds an extra layer of fun, with Anna (Randolph) and Ryan (Early) battling to prove who can help Joan better.
What elevates Eternity beyond its cute-quirky premise is the genuinely thoughtful exploration of what makes a relationship meaningful. Joan isn’t just choosing between two men; she’s rediscovering what she valued in each of them. There’s an undeniable allure in Luke’s timeless devotion, someone who never stopped loving you. But there is also profound comfort in a partner like Larry, someone who walks through life’s darkest and brightest moments with you.
The film acknowledges that attraction evolves. Someone can be a picture-perfect match on paper and still not be the right fit. And what we want in our twenties can be very different from what we need in our seventies. The choice Joan faces forces her to reflect on all the versions of herself she has been, and the love each man represented.
One of the movie’s more poignant threads is Joan’s slow recognition that she may not need to choose either man. For perhaps the first time in her life, she is allowed to define her future on her own terms. Like many women of her generation, she lived by expectations set for her, and now she finds herself with complete autonomy. The film’s heartfelt message is that fulfillment can come from partnership, but it can also come from understanding yourself.
The performances sell every emotional beat. Miles Teller is wonderfully endearing as Larry, the man whose greatest joy is making his loved ones happy. Callum Turner brings intensity and yearning to Luke, a man who believes he deserves the life he was denied. And for Elizabeth Olsen, Eternity is a refreshing, delightful pivot from the heavy dramatic roles she wants to do (outside Wanda Maximoff). As Joan, she gets to be funny, vulnerable, and quietly sexy, giving one of her most human and heartfelt performances to date.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph is, unsurprisingly, a scene-stealer. I love her character. She brings warmth, humor, and wisdom to Anna, exactly the kind of guide you wish you had in the afterlife.
The film occasionally moves at a slower pace, but its irresistible charm, earnest performances, and message of hope easily smooth over those softer patches. With audiences craving more feel-good stories and emotional uplift, Eternity arrives at exactly the right moment.
Sweet, sincere, and radiant with heart, Eternity mixes emotion and humor with surprising finesse. It’s adorable, touching, and full of life, even in the afterlife.
Eternity opens in theaters on November 26.
Grade: B+
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Eternity
In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with and her first love, who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.
Release Date: November 26, 2025
Director: David Freyne
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen , Miles Teller , Callum Turner
