'How it Ends' Review
R: Language throughout, sexual references, and drug material
Runtime: 1 Hr and 22 Minutes
Production Companies: Mister Lister Films, American International Pictures
Distributor: United Artists Releasing
Director: Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones
Writer: Daryl Wein, Zoe Lister-Jones
Cast: Zoe Lister-Jones, Cailee Spaeny, Olivia Wilde, Fred Armisen, Helen Hunt, Lamorne Morris, Nick Kroll
Release Date: July 20, 2021
In Theaters and VOD
On the day an asteroid is scheduled to obliterate Earth, freewheeling Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) scores an invite to one last wild gathering before it all goes down. Making it to the party won’t be easy, though, after her car is unceremoniously stolen, and the clock is ticking on her plan to tie up loose ends with friends and family. With a little help from her whimsical younger self (Cailee Spaeny), Liza embarks on a journey by foot across Los Angeles as she seeks to make peace with her regrets—and find the right company for those last few hours.
During Sundance earlier this year, in the midst of watching an ample amount of heavy-handed films, I found absolute solace and comfort in Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones’s end of the world comedy How It Ends. A movie about the end of the world brought me the most joy and serotonin? It sounds like a long shot but honestly, this movie is unlike anything I’ve seen this year thus far. Every so often a new movie comes around when you personally need it most, finds you at your most vulnerable, and sneaks its way into your heart with its story, cast, and tone. How It Ends checks all three boxes and is 100% my shit… so much so that I watched it twice during Sundance.
As a world-ending meteor approaches, Liza (Zoe Lister-Jones) is distressed over how she is to spend her final day on Earth. Luckily, an optimistic and youthful metaphysical version of herself (Cailee Spaeney) convinces her to spend the day making amends with everyone from her estranged parents (Bradley Whitford, Helen Hunt) to her best friend (Olivia Wilde) and ex-lovers (Lamorne Morris), all before she ventures off to an end of the world party. Along the way, Liza and her younger self encounter a variety of zany, quirky characters and hilarity ensues.
Considering it’s a movie about doomsday that was shot during the height of the COVID pandemic, How It Ends bears a welcoming whimsical tone. It never takes the subject matter of the apocalypse or the lead’s emotional scars too seriously, for it falls more in line with the nature of a sitcom than anything else. It manages to be consistently full of life and sweet-natured from beginning to end in such a heartwarming manner that it will break down your cynical barrier and leave you with a smile on your face. It has to be the most wholesome doomsday movie since Seeking a Friend For the End of the World.
The film is heavily buoyed by Zoe Lister-Jones and Cailee Spaeny. Spaeny and Lister-Jones worked together in 2020’s The Craft: Legacy, which Lister-Jones helmed and Spaeny starred in. The dynamic they share on set is finally on screen for all to see and the pair are a match made in heaven. The two are such an incredible foil for each other where older Liza butts heads with younger Liza’s upbeat, glass-half-full point of view. Though she is a metaphysical being, younger Liza is full of the memories her older self holds but also has her own individuality. The metaphysical concept gets explored as well; it sets rules as to who can see her, who can't, and even how other people project their metaphysical younger selves on their final day. The two share such amazing comedic banter with each other and the more you vibe along with them, the more reflective the screenplay becomes.
The sweet, heart-tugging themes about self-love and reflection really hit home for me and I know they must resonate with audiences who had to spend time alone last year, regressing and internalizing all the things they still have to make amends with. Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones wrote something personal and reflective that hits people who are most likely facing the same existential crisis Liza did. Recently, we’ve all been forced to grow up and have lost that last glimmer of hope and sparkle in our eyes. Many of us had to exist between every version of ourselves: a younger version of who had to live through traumatic shit and the adult self who still holds these scars and has to make peace with them. At the end of the day, nobody has your back except you, and the film delivers that message in such a profound and endearing manner that it pushed me to tears.
The film features a who’s who caveat of comedic actors, writers, creatives, and musicians who clearly are friends with Lister-Jones and Wein. While many might find it too self-indulgent, especially given the film’s L.A. setting:
Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones might’ve asked all their friends to be in this movie, and I’ll be damned they assembled such a great ensemble who I either deeply admire or whose works got me emotionally through this pandemic thus far. When I watched this for the first time, I squealed at the surprising cameos because some of these people mean a lot to me. During the pandemic, one of my quarantine shows was It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis appear in this film. When I have a hard time falling asleep, I’ll put on the “How Did This Get Made?” podcast to help. Paul Sheer appears in this film. One of the movies that helped me channel my non-binary identity was Booksmart. Friggin’ Olivia Wilde appears in this film. You might call this a self-indulgent pandemic movie, but come on, Olivia Wilde telling Zoe Lister-Jones that she’ll be fucking Timothee Chalamet and eating dairy with zero consequences in the afterlife can be something so personal. Was this movie made for me? I feel like it was.
How It Ends has the makings of a “vibe” film but beneath the surface lies a poignant and reflective outlook on life at the most crucial moment in anyone’s life: their last. This was a breath of fresh air and stands as one of my absolute favorite films of 2021. Some might describe this as a plotless film or, as “film Twitter” would say, a film that’s more vibes than story, but How It Ends feels like it was made for me. It’s a short film that never overstays its welcome and follows through on its clever concept with wit, heart, and vulnerability. During a hopeless time, this film made the cynic in me find the joyous, younger, and more optimistic version of myself.
