Comet (2014)

 “I feel like I'm in the wrong world. 'Cause I don't belong in a world where we don't end up together. I don't. There are parallel universes out there where this didn't happen. Where I was with you, and you were with me. And whatever universe that is that's the one where my heart lives in.”

            Movies about relationships are usually all the same: boy and girl, they fall in love, they have great times, they have bad times, they break up, and then get back together in the end. Blah. I hate clichés. The only relationship movies I have enjoyed immensely are (500) Days of Summer and Comet. Never heard of Comet? Well you need to it is awesome.

            The story begins with a guy named Dell (Justin Long) waiting on line to get into the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to watch a comet come by. Dell is studying medicine of some kind and he is on the phone with a doctor about his mother who is sick with some kind of cancer. He is a narcissistic asshole who just rambles on and on like he is a know it all. Standing behind him is an annoying guy who just keeps smack talking about things. Dell gets really annoyed because the guy’s girlfriend caught his eye and he can tell that the girl Kimberly (Emmy Rossum) is not enjoying the guy she is with. A few moments later Kimberly winds up saving Dell’s life when she yells at him to watch out when a car comes speeding his way.

            After that the story skips around over a series of six years through their relationship. In one series they meet at a train station. In another they are in Paris for a wedding. Another they are breaking up. Another they are seeing each other for the first time in a long time. Each of these scenes from their relationship plays out as the movie goes on. The audience sees Dell and Kimberly fall in love throughout a night in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, falling out of love then falling in love again and then out of love again.

            Justin Long and Emmy Rossum were incredible together as a screen couple and as characters. I loved all their characters’ quirks and personalities. Dell could have been the annoying narcissistic asshole but he was not you kind of feel bad for him because Long played him so well. Emmy Rossum was fantastic I could not get over her performance. She was the best in the second break up segment and the train segment I loved her performance in those.

            The direction was perfect too. Sam Esmail filmed certain scenes from different perspectives that really captured the characters’ emotions. There were certain segments that where the background perfectly matched the emotions of the characters. The train segment was completely CGI-ed and did not try to even look real. The train cars looked like old time trains when they were supposed to be on a train in modern day California.

            Comet is definitely not your typical relationship movie. Dell and Kimberly are not completely likable. They are both eccentric and have their issues. I liked how the segments were broken up where the story skipped around. I loved how the story unfolds with the broken up segments. I have to say I liked Comet from the moment it began. It starts off with Justin Long waiting outside a door all nervous like it was his first date and then the door opens and as if something is trying to break through a broadcast and then cuts to the scene where he is waiting on line. I now consider Comet one of my all time favorite movies because it was original and the acting and direction are fantastic. I highly recommend seeing Comet. It is available to view on Netflix so if you have Netflix go put Comet on right now!