Today I watched a film called Everything & the Universe (2025), which was written and directed by Sarah Scarlett Downing. It begins when a talkative, dynamic man named Henry (E.J. Bonilla) meets a taciturn, sarcastic scientist named Jane (Nicolette Pearse) at an airport. Both are en route to Durham, North Carolina. They sit beside one another during the flight and experience severe turbulence, requiring them to put on their oxygen masks. Henry and Jane survive their near-death experience and arrive in Durham in one piece.
Henry is in town for his ex Samantha's (Chelsea Gilligan) wedding to a university professor named Brian (Luke Roberts). Henry, who still carries deep feelings for the bride, is a believer in tarot card readings, fate, and finding meaning in the universe. We soon learn that chain-smoking Jane is in Durham for the same wedding. She's Samantha's best friend, and has been in love with the bride for years, but has never confessed her feelings to her. Jane left town to get her Ph.D. and move on with her life studying adhesives, but she has trouble feeling anything without Samantha. Soon Henry and Jane team up to break up Samantha's wedding. They have help from “Lucas with an L,” (Spencer Claus) a quirky addition to the story who becomes Henry's mentee. Lucas is a student and has taken classes with Brian. We later learn Brian is a devotee of Elon Musk. Yikes. Lucas has his own reasons for helping Jane and Henry out.
I really liked Henry and Jane's growing friendship throughout the story. The entire cast was charismatic and had wonderful chemistry. The script was playful and unique, touching on finding meaning in what's meaningless, looking for answers where they may or may not exist, and finding connections even when we're not looking for them.
I randomly came across the film on Tubi and really enjoyed it. It's an unexpected take on a romantic comedy with some hilarious lines. It gave me the same joyful feelings that watching Richard Linklater's films give me, the sense that I'm watching something intimate and real. You can watch the film for free here.
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