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When You Finish Saving the World

  • 2022
  • R
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard in When You Finish Saving the World (2022)
Evelyn and her oblivious son Ziggy seek out replacements for each other as Evelyn desperately tries to parent an unassuming teenager at her shelter, while Ziggy fumbles through his pursuit of a brilliant young woman at school.
Play trailer2:25
2 Videos
29 Photos
SatireComedyDrama

Evelyn and her oblivious son Ziggy seek out replacements for each other as Evelyn desperately tries to parent an unassuming teenager at her shelter, while Ziggy fumbles through his pursuit o... Read allEvelyn and her oblivious son Ziggy seek out replacements for each other as Evelyn desperately tries to parent an unassuming teenager at her shelter, while Ziggy fumbles through his pursuit of a brilliant young woman at school.Evelyn and her oblivious son Ziggy seek out replacements for each other as Evelyn desperately tries to parent an unassuming teenager at her shelter, while Ziggy fumbles through his pursuit of a brilliant young woman at school.

  • Director
    • Jesse Eisenberg
  • Writer
    • Jesse Eisenberg
  • Stars
    • Julianne Moore
    • Finn Wolfhard
    • Billy Bryk
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    5.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jesse Eisenberg
    • Writer
      • Jesse Eisenberg
    • Stars
      • Julianne Moore
      • Finn Wolfhard
      • Billy Bryk
    • 51User reviews
    • 100Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Official Trailer
    When You Finish Saving the World
    Trailer 2:25
    When You Finish Saving the World
    When You Finish Saving the World
    Trailer 2:25
    When You Finish Saving the World

    Photos29

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    Top cast27

    Edit
    Julianne Moore
    Julianne Moore
    • Evelyn
    Finn Wolfhard
    Finn Wolfhard
    • Ziggy
    Billy Bryk
    Billy Bryk
    • Kyle
    Alisha Boe
    Alisha Boe
    • Lila
    Jack Justice
    Jack Justice
    • Jackie
    Jay O. Sanders
    Jay O. Sanders
    • Roger
    Eleonore Hendricks
    Eleonore Hendricks
    • Angie
    Catherine Haun
    Catherine Haun
    • Cath
    Annacheska Brown
    Annacheska Brown
    • Cyril
    Sara Anne
    • Becky
    Marika Rose Sayers
    Marika Rose Sayers
    • Politician
    • (as Marika Sayers)
    Felipe Jeantete
    Felipe Jeantete
    • Corporate America
    Calhoun Koenig
    Calhoun Koenig
    • Emcee
    Colin Miller
    Colin Miller
    • Singer
    Adrian Mackenzie
    Adrian Mackenzie
    • Bandana Guy
    • (as Adrian Gallegos)
    Laura-Love Tode
    Laura-Love Tode
    • Barb
    Mimi Fletcher
    Mimi Fletcher
    • Leslie
    Jordyn Aquino
    Jordyn Aquino
    • Marci
    • (as Jordyn Aurora Aquino)
    • Director
      • Jesse Eisenberg
    • Writer
      • Jesse Eisenberg
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews51

    5.65.4K
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    Featured reviews

    5NoPantsBatman

    Human writers needed

    When You Finish Saving the World, directed by Jesse Eisenberg, runs for 88 minutes and presents a story that feels both disconnected from reality and oddly frustrating to watch. The film follows Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard) and his mother Evelyn (Julianne Moore), two characters who are meant to be navigating their strained relationship but come across as exaggerated caricatures of real people. Unfortunately, the characters' behaviors and interactions feel so far removed from anything believable that it becomes difficult to connect with any part of their story.

    The biggest issue with this film is the way the characters are written and developed. Instead of offering any relatable qualities or depth, both Ziggy and Evelyn (along with most of the supporting characters) feel like hollow, over-the-top versions of real people. Their personalities are frustratingly one-dimensional, almost to the point of parody. It's hard to watch their interactions without feeling an overwhelming sense of cringe and discomfort. While some films successfully use exaggerated characters to make a point or add humor, When You Finish Saving the World doesn't manage to do either. The characters lack any redeeming qualities that would make their quirks engaging or their struggles emotionally resonant.

    The story flows naturally within its own twisted reality, but that only seems to exacerbate the disconnect between the characters and the audience. While the movie may have intended to explore the complexities of familial relationships or generational differences, it instead feels like an exercise in frustration. The characters' interactions are more likely to elicit eye-rolls or exasperation than any sort of emotional engagement. Watching the film, it's hard to imagine anyone feeling anything other than discomfort or irritation at the exaggerated and often unlikable personalities on display.

    By the end, I found myself wondering what the film was trying to achieve. While it flows easily enough within its strange, unrealistic world, the lack of believable character development made it impossible for me to become invested in the story. Instead of walking away with any sense of connection or reflection, I was left feeling mostly frustrated and disengaged.

    In conclusion, When You Finish Saving the World struggles with the same issue that plagues many films-it offers characters that feel like overblown versions of real people, but with none of the relatability or charm needed to make them work. Despite its natural flow, the film is more likely to evoke cringe than anything else. I give it a 5 out of 10.
    7Bleu-Le-Fluff-0969

    Jesse Eisenberg's debut feature is flawed, but still engaging.

    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.
    6deloudelouvain

    Okay but not great.

    When 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.
    7LazyCatCutCoins

    Pretentious, Narcissistic People Are Embarrassing To Watch

    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.
    6ranaajlan_

    Good. Could have been so much better.

    Hesitated 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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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The movie is based off the Audible Original, "When You Finish Saving the World", which was also written by Jesse Eisenberg. The audio drama was released in August 4, 2020 and featured Finn Wolfhard, Kaitlyn Dever, and Jesse Eisenberg narrating as Ziggy Katz, Rachel Katz, and Nathan Katz, respectively.
    • Quotes

      Ziggy: I'll have a logically good thought but my feeling is still bad and that just kills me because that means my thoughts and my feelings are disconnected and I could be the most popular songwriter in the world but it still won't solve any real problems. Because no matter what I do in this world, I'll always kinda have a lingering pain

    • Connections
      Referenced in OWV Updates: The Seventh OWV Awards - Last Update of 2022 (2022)
    • Soundtracks
      Frederic Chopin's Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 28, No. 10: Allegro Molto
      Written by Frédéric Chopin

      Performed by Tzvi Erez

      Courtesy of NiV Classical

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    FAQ17

    • How long is When You Finish Saving the World?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 31, 2023 (Spain)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Cuando termines de salvar el mundo
    • Filming locations
      • Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA(Filming City)
    • Production companies
      • CAA Media Finance
      • Fruit Tree
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $196,920
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $133,393
      • Jan 22, 2023
    • Gross worldwide
      • $196,920
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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