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.
Posted: December 28, 2025
After just finishing Eternity, starring Miles Teller and Elizabeth Olsen, I can honestly say that I enjoyed it for what it was. I don’t usually watch many romantic comedies since the genre isn’t really my thing, but I decided to give this one a chance because I’m a fan of Miles Teller and the premise sounded intriguing. This also isn’t your typical rom-com that feels like it belongs on Lifetime or the Hallmark Channel, which helped it stand out right away.
The film centers on Joan (Elizabeth Olsen), who dies and finds herself in the afterlife faced with an impossible decision. She must choose who she wants to spend eternity with: Larry (Miles Teller), the man she was married to for more than 60 years and who died just a week before her, or Luke (Callum Turner), her first husband who died during the Korean War. The catch is that once she makes her choice, it’s final. Whichever eternity she chooses, she is stuck with forever, with no chance to change her mind.
That premise alone was interesting enough to pull me in, and thankfully the film didn’t disappoint. There are plenty of laughs throughout, and the performances are solid across the board. While there were a few aspects I didn’t particularly care for, most of those issues came down to personal interpretations of what the afterlife might be like. Since no one truly knows what happens after death, it was easy enough to overlook those details and just go along for the ride.
I should also mention that I’m not a very religious person, which probably made it easier for me to accept the film’s take on the afterlife. In Eternity, there is no traditional heaven or hell. Instead, there are many different “eternities” to choose from. You can pick a beach, the mountains, Paris (where everyone speaks English with an accent), or even locations restricted to certain groups. Once you choose, you’re not allowed to leave, and if you try and get caught, you’re sent to “the void,” which is essentially darkness forever.
For viewers who are very religious, this interpretation of the afterlife may be off-putting or even offensive since it doesn’t align with many belief systems. If the afterlife were anything like it’s portrayed here, it definitely wouldn’t make me look forward to dying anytime soon. There’s still pain, sadness, and emotional struggle, which makes it feel not all that different from being alive. The only real difference is that, I guess, you don’t get a second chance to die.
Much of the film revolves around Joan’s decision between Larry and Luke. Personally, I found the choice fairly simple. I would choose Larry without hesitation. He was the man she spent most of her life with and shared decades of happiness. While Luke was her first husband, their marriage was brief and ended when they were still young. People change significantly over a lifetime, and choosing someone you only truly knew for a few years versus someone you spent the majority of your life with seems like an easy decision to me. But that’s just my perspective. The movie does a good job of reminding you that whichever choice is made, it’s for eternity, which adds real weight to the decision.
My recommendation is to watch this film without overthinking the religious or philosophical implications of its version of the afterlife. If you focus too much on how it contradicts certain beliefs, you’re likely to enjoy it less. Instead, watch it for the comedy, drama, and romance, and appreciate it for what it’s trying to be.
Overall, I would recommend Eternity. It offers enough humor to keep viewers who don’t usually watch rom-coms entertained, while still delivering the emotional beats and romance that fans of the genre expect. It’s a solid choice for couples or anyone looking for a fairly neutral film that both sides can enjoy.
Overall Verdict: Even if you don't typically watch romantic comedies, you'll probably still enjoy this... Just don't dig deeply into the religious aspects of it.
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