The premise is good; what would happen if we knew that on certain day, at a certain time (in this case, 4:44 am EST) that the world was coming to an end? The problem is that the people the story follows, actor Cisco (Willem Dafoe) and artist Skye (Shanyn Leigh) are very boring people. I appreciate that writer-director Abel Ferrara doesn't depict the end of the world as some Mad Max-esque orgy of violence. Our protagonists are even able to get take-out Vietnamese. However, since we spend most of the movie with Dafoe and Leigh, it would be nice if they actually did something more than just call up friends and family, try to finish one last painting, and get into arguments about Dafoe's ex-wife. There are some stabs at philosophical depth, but they are either hammer you on the head (the human race is going to immediately die because of ozone depletion, so it's all the fault of rich people and politicians) or barely more than slogans. The film is also hurt by Shanyn Leigh, who turns in a dreadful performance. There are some good ideas here. Some of the glimpses we get of how other people are spending their final day look interesting. Unfortunately, the story we have to sit through isn't worth the time. Unless you are a Ferrara completest, give this one a pass.
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