Maybe it's because I see a lot of similarities in this movie and the squid and the whale that I "get it". Yeah, it's kind of day in the life and yeah, the main characters aren't very likable but that's kinda the point. Personally I didn't like a single person in this movie. The question is, were you supposed to like them? I don't necessarily think so. I think the mom was overbearing. She reminds me of my mother. She works at a school with autistic / deaf kids. She gets too involved and often gets put in her place by those above her and then gets depressed saying if they'd just let her do her thing the kid would be much better off. Not her place to do it. As for the kid... kids are going to be kids. He's an idiot because he lacks life experience and that's ok. He has worked hard toward his own goals and when others around him aren't terribly impressed by his accomplishments he's sort of floundering and looking for ways to cross over. He realizes a love interest is political so, naturally, now he is going to be. This is being a kid and it's ok. To summarize this movie had two lessons; one person cannot save the world and to know your place in it. The other is a bit more complicated, maybe something like be yourself or realize not being yourself can be very easily spotted and embarrassing. Props to Jesse for this. It wasn't mind blowing but it was quite good.
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daebat10 March 2023
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Like mother, like son, and son and mother don't like each other.
Why does it seem that the newfound subgenre "cringeworthy" seems to be relegated to comedy? This one may have broken the mold. When You Finish Saving The World is most certainly a drama, and one that made me want to crawl out of my skin.
As two generations of misguided self-do-gooding profiteers of ego poke at each other's motives while simultaneously pretending the other does not exist, the damage they do to themselves and their own self image is a big pill to swallow.
This is a well acted, no budget watchable train wreck to which you just might relate.
Check it out. It's pretty funny. -
Caught this at this year's virtual Sundance Film Festival. Like any A24, the production value is good and the performances are great. Julianne and Finn both do an incredible job of playing infuriatingly cringe characters in a way that doesn't feel completely absurd, but is definitely uncomfortable.
You do get invested in what will ultimately happen to their storylines, but ultimately, it's kind of exactly what you'd expect, and you can see if coming from 10 minutes in. The real question is, how do two people that have grown so far apart actually start to do the work to come back together and open up to each other's love? However, the movie shies away from that. It's really just the first part of their story arc - how they grow so far apart that they're forced to come back together, tails between their legs. That is the most emotional part of the me - you're DYING to see them come to each other in some honest way. But then, it's over. I think it's much easier to show two people stray from each other and go "off the rails" in their own way, but it's hard to explore the journey back. I wish this movie had chosen to tell more of the difficult part of the story, because that's where the true emotion lies. -
Gregor_815 February 2023There's more here to like than people are saying.
It's intentionally aggravating and cringeworthy. It's sad but funny, maddening but hopeful. It has plenty of depth and meaning and it's not so buried that you feel perplexed.
Were watching two parallel narcissists trying to find happiness in the only ways they know how and it's hard to watch. When they eventually fail hard enough, they come to their senses and find that they can't be happy without seeing something other than themselves as important. They end up finding each other as well.
I would only recommend this movie to indie movie lovers. Subtext, intentionally uncomfortable moments, unlikeable characters, and introspective plot don't go over well with the average movie-goer, but I liked it. -
Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival
"When You Finish Saving the World" isn't the best A24 production but the movie is still engaging and fun due to the realistic nature between the characters portrayed by Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard and the captivating tone presented throughout. Eisenberg isn't an actor that I am incredibly invested in but he has played some really good movies over the past years in the 2010s decades of cinema. This movie displays that for an actor, his directing talents does shine quite a bit.
What makes the movie interesting is due to the characters and the engaging narrative Eisenberg presents. The characters are seen as mean, narcissistic and quite all over the place. I understand if people will be annoyed by this kind's of characters but the fact is that in real life, people can be different and mean. That's what makes it very nature and interesting. The production designs are very good, Wolfhard's singing is surprisingly pretty good and the tone is perfectly paced.
The problem is that sometimes the writing does feel flat because it is pretty predictable from the beginning to end at times. Secondly, certain dialogue spoken from the actors felt really off as if the words were written by some robot.
Overall, it is a pretty good debut despite it's flaws. It's definitely not for everyone but I recommend this if you are a lover of A24's projects.
Rating: B. -
passthemictothea27 January 2023How many ways can I say how awful this is? It's as slow as a turtle, the characters have no redeeming value and the you wonder why anyone would write this. How was this financed? Who would watch this movie and think, I have to get this made. Julianne Moore's talent is wasted here. She plays a strange mother and wife, who's husband describes as a narcissist. She develops a crush on a new resident at here shelter for abused women. You would think that would make her more likable but the resident is a high school boy. The son, played by Finn Wolfhard, is even worse. He yells and curses at his parents like it's a normal day. And the ending does nothing to redeem anyone of them. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.
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deloudelouvain3 April 2023When You Finish Saving The World is more a drama than a comedy/drama. I didn't get the comedy in this movie if I have to be honest. Maybe it just wasn't my kind of humour. That said as a drama it's watchable. Not really my favourite genre of movies though so you could say a six stars rating for this one is pretty high considering the genre. It's all about two characters played by Finn Wolfhard and Julianne Moore. One struggling with what is important in life and another struggling in being a good mother instead of acheaving that at her job. The acting was okay, the story passable. It's easy to follow but not really interesting that I want to watch it again in the future.
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brent-2784919 May 2023I am no doubt being very generous in my rating, but rather than focusing on all the lousy aspects of this movie, I'll focus on the couple that are decent. I also need to preface this by saying I can't stand Jesse Eisenberg as an actor. In almost everything I've seen him in, I wish someone would punch him in the face. Having said that, as writer and director, and thankfully not in the movie, it was not as bad as expected.
Mostly the positives stem from the ending. While not entirely earned, at least it doesn't end up with some happy ending where the boy gets the girl and the mom "saves" the poor family and everyone learns a lesson about social justice. In fact she gets told in no uncertain terms that hey, guess what, you don't have to go to college in order to have a good and successful life. Nice.
As for Finn, sure he's a whiny smart mouth most of the time, but I actually prefer the fact that he's wrapped up in his own little world without a clue as opposed to the alternative. Unlike the girl he's interested in, who is wrapped up in her own little world as well as completely full and sure of herself. Actually that's being a little unfair to her but the point I like is that he tries to virtue signal, only he has no idea how to do it, he's just some dumb kid trying to fit in and get a girl to like him. Unlike those who are good at virtue signaling, who are either just as idiotic, hypocritical, or in most cases, both.
Again I know the ending is sentimental and not entirely earned. But what I appreciate about it is that it shows the importance of family. Maybe it's meant to be ironic, or maybe it was unintentional, and given movies today it's hard to say. But taken at face value, what it shows is that in the end, no matter all the ups and downs, or the pain love and family might mean, it still has more value, more purpose and more happiness in it than all the SJW crap put together. For that I salute you. -
makayhart3 February 2023When You Finish Saving The World is a movie I've been waiting to see since I first heard about it, and it was different than what I expected. Ziggy is a character who is just ceaselessly irritating. I think I would have genuinely lost my mind if he told someone how many followers he has one more time. Despite Ziggy probably being the character that the audience is probably intended to hate more, his mom was so much worse to me. The thing with Ziggy is that while he is irritating, he's still a teenager. Obviously he doesn't understand the world the same way his mom does, and she villainizes him for it instead of trying to be a mother and try to guide him in the right direction. She just would get mad and mock him or replace him with another vulnerable child. I think she really needed to step back because while I'm not entirely sure her going to school and seeking out Kyle was illegal, it felt like it should be. It was beyond weird. She cared more about this kid that she hardly knew more than the son that she was meant to be raising. She gets mad at Ziggy that he is not who she wants to be, but I really think it's because she doesn't know how to parent someone who is not entirely vulnerable. I couldn't find myself to sympathize with her at all honestly. It's not a horrible movie, I might watch it again if given the chance, I just don't like movies where nothing happens. The only times those movies are good is if they really make me think, but this one didn't. The only thing I could take away from this movie was that I hate the characters and I'm so glad I'm not a part of their family.
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thebeachlife6 December 2023The Stranger Things guy is good, but oh my god, Julianne Moore is incredible. The movie wouldn't be nearly as good without her.
The movie is about the two generations who for some reason (and the reason is by the way wonderfully explained in the context of the film) refuse to see each other and take any interest in what the other finds important in life. We can see why that happens, what it does to the family, how it all makes them feel and what it can result in. And it also shows it is never late to try again and see things the way your significant other looks at things, just for a moment.
Great movie and perfect music! -
ranaajlan_28 January 2023Hesitated between a 4-6 rating. Some stops of the film convey the gist of the story. Some are muddled, expected, and very naïve. Moore's pursuit of improving Kyle's life brushes off as a consequence to chasing off a romantic interest at some parts. Also, her performance is visibly dry at a lot of scenes. Glad to see how Finn has been shying away from Stranger Things shelter. However, his real-life personality has been shining through his acting since 2019 which requires a bit of improvement. A great performance from his end nonetheless. Maybe a bit of coherence to characters' purpose would have been better.
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The movie never really went anywhere. It was the tale of a mom and son drifting apart, that's pretty much it.
The son is a total self absorbed Gen Z kid, looking to make a name for himself as a singer. The Mom is totally aloof and married to her job.
They each fill the void they feel with something. The son fills his void by trying to win over the girl of his dreams with his music. The Mom fills her void by befriending a boy (her sons age) at her shelter and treating him like a son. I'm sure you can guess what happens at the end.
Everything is just so dull in this movie. The acting isn't great at all. Finn Wolfhard is okay in Stranger Things, but not here. In all honesty, I don't think he's a good actor. He isn't likable. Julianne Moore is capable of better.
All in all, I would say to skip this movie. It's so dull and just not worth watching. If you must watch, don't say I didn't warn you.
This gets a LennyReviewz Score of: 3/10. -
brianboling12 April 2024I watched this movie a few weeks back. When I first finished it, I was left a little disappointed and confused, but it had remained in my mind and I thought about it more. On first watch, I probably would've given it a 5/10 but once you start thinking deeper, it starts to catch. I've seen many many many people in the reviews COMPLETELY missing the mark on what the movie is about
On the surface, it's about a broken mother son relationship that is rekindled by the end. This is where a large portion of the audience stopped thinking about it and just saw it for what it looked to be. However, this is absolutely not the big idea of the movie and it's a little sad that many people think it is.
The true plot is is about rich (white) people wanting to seem socially conscious and seeing themselves as some kind of saving grace for the people that they feel are lesser than them. Evelyn is desperately begging Kyle, a son of an abusive dad who had to escape to a shelter with his mom, to go to college even though he's perfectly content with working at his dad's shop. She attempts to decide his future for him and have no regard for what he wants to do. She has the best intentions but feels like her opinion is of higher value than his. There's also Evelyn's son Ziggy who is spoiled and extremely disrespectful to his parents. He's an aspiring musician who has 10,000 followers give or take on a niche streaming platform. He develops a crush on his classmate, Lila, who is extremely passionate about politics. One day, he decides to adapt a poem she wrote about the Marshall Islands into a song and plays it for her. In a genuine moment, she is impressed with him and feels as if he might have some heart in him. Later that night however, he performs his song in front of his audience on the streaming platform he's popular on. The next day, he tells her about it and how much money he pocketed, showing how you can be "political and still make money". She's obviously disgusted with him and tells him off.
All in all, it's an okay movie with a really good underlying message that a lot of people didn't get. It could've done a better job with acting and just a stronger job on the material other than making the main characters as dislikable as possible. Still an interesting watch that will leave you thinking. -
Sillyreviews27 March 2023Nothing was very spectacular about this film. Numerous films like this one has already been made, maybe not with same story but absolutely with the same style and vibe. Which is a nice vibe I admit. While others films who have a similar style and vibe are able to set them self apart with a good and nice story this one isn't able to do that as strongly. The story was a bit messy and the main characters were very unlikeable which made it hard to watch at times. The nice and likeable characters were all kinda pushed aside which was unfortunate. The nice indie-ish vibe and style of the movie made it worth while and a good movie to pass some time and clear your head and jump into the life of these people. But if you want a film that is strong and all maybe pass this one for now.
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pontuss-4165427 January 2023The first big positive about this film is that Jesse Eisenberg decided to not be in it as an actor, just a director. Then they must have thought, if Jesse wont be acting how do we find an equally bad actor who can star in it. Then the answer is, Finn Wolfhard is pretty bad at acting let´s cast him. Finn Wolfhard is another of those hollywood actors/actresses that gets casted and you must wonder which wellconnected hollywood mogul he is related to, to get parts in any movie. The film itself is ok and Julianne Moore is great as always. Unfortunately a class actress in a lead role cant save a movie when the other main "star" just can´t act. A shame for Julianne, she deserved better.
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danieljfarthing3 February 2023In low-key, low-budget, character-study drama "When You Finish Saving The World" uptight Julianne Moore (excellent) runs an Indiana shelter for domestic abuse victims who she seems to care more about (especially teen Billy Bryk) than her own wallflower hubbie Jay O Sanders & teen son Finn Wolfhard. The latter's a wannabe online musician struggling with issues of maturity (and a crush on Alisha Boe). Focussing (indirectly and at a distance) on the mother / son relationship this is absolutely not one for adrenaline junkies, but as Jesse Eisenberg's debut as writer / director it's a terrifically performed, quirky, interesting and certainly passable first offering.
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saraludeman29 January 2023One of the worst films I have sat all the way through in awhile. A long meandering film about a mother and sons inability to connect with not only each other, but the rest of the world. You would think towards the end they would manage to repair the connections that they seem to make worse with every interaction, but it never happens.. I kept hoping for redemption. It never arrived. The end of the film leaves you wondering why did I just waste 2 hours of my life watching this crap? Oh yeah because most of the actors in this film are good, its just the script that has no redeeming qualities. Do not bother.
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fataltypixels29 January 2023You have the son who cares only about being the most popular songwriter in the world. He's also really obsessed with some girl in school who he has nothing in common with.
Mother clearly miss her son, they seemed to have done a lot of things together in the past, before his puberty. So one day when she meets this kid who seems to be same age as her kid and goes to the same school as her son she wants to spend time with him. Just like the son she gets obsessed with this kid. She wants him to go to college....who cares what this he or his real mom want.
We don't really see dad that much but there is one occasion where we see him ask his kid if ''he's happy''? But when the son gives him a deep answer the father doesn't really seem to care. He only asked because he read this article about teens suicides. Also he gets an award and not the son nor his wife go to the ceremony. In my opinion he spend a lot of his time so he could get this award, in this time he probably didn't give much of his time or attention to his family. -
wcssrst11 February 2023I love this movie.
It reminds me of my mother and me. A lot of scenes made me cry because I can totally understand the feelings of the protagonist Ziggy.
I also think it's great that political things like climate change and racism were brought in, because unfortunately these things aren't even mentioned in most films.
The film also seemed very authentic, which impressed me. Because the school and also residential area were like in real life.
Overall I would recommend the film to everyone, especially to people who have problems with their mother (and love music). Ziggy's music was really great!
Thanks. -
kjproulx2 February 2023This is usually my kind of film. A simplistic, low-budget drama that tells a human story. Many of those films are my favourites, so when I heard Jesse Eisenberg was tackling a movie like this for his first directorial feature I was intrigued. After watching it though, I have to admit I'm pretty disappointed. Not because Eisenberg is a bad filmmaker by any means, but due to the fact that I just didn't care about anything in this movie. Here's why, even though Eisenberg directs his first film well, you can probably avoid When You Finish Saving the World.
The film follows Evelyn (Julianne Moore) and her son Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard) as they live very different lives and don't get along. Ziggy makes money by playing music for an audience online and Evelyn is a teacher who's making friends with people her son's age in order to feel more accomplished. Ziggy tries to fit in with his classmates by pretending to be interested in what they're talking about, but this is a very mirky choice on his part. That's pretty much the entire movie in a nutshell honestly. A movie like this can work really well, but for me, what ruined it for me were the characters.
A film that revolves around characters where not much happens is fine if it's written well, and it's not that the film is poorly written, it's just that the focus was in the wrong place and the characters themselves were the most unlikable I've seen in a long time. I disliked Evelyn and Ziggy right when the film started, so I spent the entire film rooting for them to change. Without ruining where the film goes, I'll just say that I barely felt a progression of any kind for either of them. There are clear underlying themes present here too, especially to do with politics and the environment, but it all just felt like dialogue that was brushed over. I love these two performers, but I had much more attachment to the side characters, and that's a big problem.
Overall, When You Finish Saving the World proved to me that Jesse Eisenberg can handle directing a film and knows how to pull a good performance, so I will gladly watch his next effort. That said though, I just found this to be a mess. I normally find that a singular writer for a film is best, but I believe a second eye would've helped make this script much better and more interesting. Although quite and space, I would actually say the most impressive aspect of this film is the music from composer Emile Mosseri. I've liked his work on films like The Last Black Man in San Francisco and most recently in Stutz. It's hard to praise anything else though in my opinion. When You Finish Saving the World. -
nikos_belitsis28 January 2023Another unimoprtant movie, a movie that had no reason to make it, let alone create the idea for this. What does the new director Eissenberg want to achieve? Convince us that he has concerns about the future of the planet? That he cares for the good of humanity? Want to scream for green growth? What happens to me? To irritate me with the chatter of his texts. Does he try to make the actors talk as fast as he does? Is it an experiment? Do you want to show us your deep talent? Don't make movies. Another family without cohesion. Characters indifferent. Result; Sleepiness! I like Julianne Moore and that was the reason for giving a try. Pity for Julianne, and pity for me.
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g_imdb-432 March 2024After seemingly waiting years for Amazon to drop the prices of this movie, I'm totally disappointed in the first (and hopefully last) Wolfhard/Eisenberg collaboration. I thought it was going to be about a bright kid who was actually "trying to save the world." In fact, Wolfhard's Ziggy is anything but - "stupid" might not be PC but that's how I'd describe him.
The music Ziggy performs to "20,000 followers" is so awful it's hard to imagine anyone would follow him except to laugh behind his back. Making money from it? Again, make me laugh!
His interest in the "political girl" is never explained, so her disinterest in him is the most credible part of the story.
I think most of us are most interested in Ziggy's story, yet his mother's story actually dominates the movie. People say she's trying to "mother" the teen boy she meets in her shelter (if the boy has a good relationship with his father, why is he living in a shelter?), but honestly it seemed to me she wanted to MILF him. Speaking of - anyone hoping to see "more" of Finn Wolfhard in this movie will be disappointed. There is a shower scene, but it's his mother!
French Canadian teen writer/director/actor Xavier Dolan made a brilliant movie on a similar son-mother relationship ("I Killed my Mother") and Ziggy's awkward ambition occasionally reminded me of "Scott Pilgrim." But apparently, an "original audio book" is even lower than a comic book as inspiration for a movie, and at 87 minutes, "When You Finish Saving the World" is still 86 minutes too long. -
I liked the character Finn played I didn't like the love story from the beginning between him and that Lila girl, they just didn't match and didn't have anything in common. And the relationship between him and his parents didn't make any sense ,his mom and dad has no interest in him (only her job) to the point that she gor obsessed with Kyle and tries"shaping" him into the son she wanted. The dad also didn't seem interested in any of them.
I feel like the movie storyline could have been written different .Like the relationships between him and the people around him, like he realizes that his little bubble is not everything and there is people around him that could make a difference un his life. -
patiencecrabstick21 January 2023This is a rare example of a small, intimate movie made by an insider that actually works. The performances, the writing, the hands-off direction, the music choices, the songwriting are all exactly on point. And Eisenberg sticks the landing - he knows when to cut away, he knows when to stop talking and let the screen go black. Julianne Moor and Finn Wolfhard are both terrific playing utterly self-obsessed characters - without the gentle and honest direction from Eisenberg and the endearing performances form the stars, this might've been a tough watch, but everyone has just enough self-awareness to make the narcissism play.
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Julianne Moore is phenomenal, I hated her character, but it was amazing acting. Finn plays a typical conflicted teen, going through the typical puppy love crush. The dad is just ignored by two self absorbed family members, it's understandable when his frustration comes out.
But the back ground electronica repetition mood music about had me turning this movie off. I think it was supposed to make it quirky, but it was aggravating, annoying, unrelentingly repetitious and needlessly loud.
If you're into independent movies with non standard plot lines, give it a look. But not something I would watch again.