Courtesy of SXSW
No one wants to have regrets when they reach the end of their life. Most people just do not typically have an exact time when that moment might be. In the hilarious new comedy How It Ends from husband-wife duo Daryl Wein (White Rabbit) and Zoe Lister-Jones (The Craft: Legacy), an aimless woman treks through LA trying to right some wrongs in her life before the Earth gets destroyed by a meteor sometime around midnight. Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) initially does not have big plans for her last night on Earth. She would be happy enough just getting high and eating snacks alone until the inevitable fade into oblivion. The best thing this film does is make sure that Liza is not alone. She has herself. Literally, she has a younger “metaphysical” version of herself gracefully inhabited by her breakout The Craft actress Cailee Spaeny. Young Liza has been someone she can communicate with for years, but the cosmic disruption now allows for others to see her as Liza always has. Young Liza is full of youthful exuberance and encourages her not to end her life with a whimper. What follows is a series of vignettes that find some of the funniest names in comedy coming together for one last hurrah.
It kind of does not seem fair to witness how talented Zoe Lister-Jones is on almost every front. From her impressive directorial debut Band Aid to her acting chops in front of the screen, such as her scene-stealing turn in the underrated CBS comedy Life In Pieces, Lister–Jones proves again and again what a creative force she is in the industry. The fact that she and Wein created this naturally funny story during quarantine without making it feel like a product of the pandemic is incredibly impressive.
It may seem a bit schmaltzy to say, but the fact that this story is told from a point of view of love and hopefulness cannot be undervalued in these stressful times. Every character is approaching the end with a peaceful resolve that keeps things from becoming too heavy without sacrificing poignancy. From an opening encounter with a friendly pothead (Nick Kroll) to a confrontation over an inadvertent bike theft with Life In Pieces costar Colin Hanks, every scenario plays like a nugget of joy that the ensemble is gifting the audience. Even more outright confrontations, such as neighborly squabbling between characters played by Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel come not from a fear of the end, but from clinging to the mundanity of normal life.
The more intentional journey for Liza and her younger self to address unresolved issues result in some memorable moments that speak to the growth she is experiencing on her final day. An easy standout in the film is an early confrontation between Liza and a friend she had fallen out of touch with charismatically played by Olivia Wilde. Not only do they nail the specific comedic feat of realistically talking simultaneously, but to see that their friendship is not beyond repair is a heartening experience. Similarly, the film soars during separate scenes with her parents played by the always-reliable Bradley Whitford and the sight for sore eyes that is Helen Hunt. The latter confrontation is especially impactful, as Young Liza helps give voice to what she always needed from her mother, and Hunt is very relatable as she shares how she was unprepared to be a mom.
As truly delightful as the entire ensemble is throughout, it is the relationship between Liza and her younger self that stands as the core of the film. Many movies such as this one have an ending point of a grand relationship or some other external goal, but rarely does one so deftly explore the struggle to love and be comfortable with yourself. The fact that another version of her being is personified only goes to drive home these important themes. When Young Liza struggles with the decisions of Liza and the fact that she often feels like she does not matter, it really cuts to the core of anyone who has not been a champion for themselves. As noted in the review for The Craft: Legacy, Cailee Spaeny is a star on the rise, and that sentiment is just emboldened with this latest turn.
How It Ends could be knocked by some for seeming like a series of sketches, but such claims would be doing a disservice to the character growth that is happening for Liza with each interaction. For those really into the LA comedy scene, the level of talent interspersed throughout this journey is simply ludicrous. Even under the worst circumstances, Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones have shown an inventiveness in filmmaking that solidifies them as creatives that you need to be tracking. How It Ends is a deceptively complex and hilarious film that has something thoughtful to say about the nature of self-care. It is the type of hopeful world in which you would want to make a home.
How It Ends was viewed in the Festival Favorites section of SXSW Online 2021.
Director: Daryl Wein & Zoe Lister-Jones
Writer: Daryl Wein & Zoe Lister-Jones
Rated: NR
Runtime: 83m
Rating: 4 out of 5
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
