When You Finish Saving the World

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When You Finish Saving the World

R

Released Jan 20, 2023

1h 28m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

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156 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Evelyn (Julianne Moore) has devoted herself to helping people in hard times, but she struggles to connect with her son Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard), an aspiring internet star oblivious to the problems of the world. As Evelyn attempts to become a parent figure to an unassuming teenager she meets at her shelter, and Ziggy fumbles through his pursuit of a brilliant and politically conscious young woman at his high school, this emotional comedy reveals a funny and sharply perceptive portrait of a mother and son who may seem at odds but who are more alike than either would care to admit.

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Critics Consensus

Its characters may be hard to take, but When You Finish Saving the World makes some cogent sociopolitical points.

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Rebecca Tucker

Globe and Mail

Does so much telling, and so little showing, that it’s hard not to walk away from the film feeling, frankly, talked down to.

Jan 27, 2023

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Sheila O'Malley

RogerEbert.com

The characters are broadly drawn and mostly broadly played, so much so that the film plays like a skit about clueless do-gooder liberals.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 25, 2023

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Stephanie Zacharek

TIME Magazine

Gentle, interwoven tensions... hold When You Finish Saving the World together, albeit just barely.

Jan 20, 2023

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Maxance Vincent

Film Speak

Jesse Eisenberg’s feature directorial debut is muddled.

Rated: C+

Jul 13, 2025

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Calum Baker

Radio Times

There is a sense of foregone conclusion to the story, but the central relationship is so confidently drawn that this rather familiar indie works naturally and honestly on its own terms.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 30, 2025

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Hayley Croke

Loud and Clear Reviews

Evelyn and Ziggy may come across as unlikeable, it’s clear Eisenberg has just written them as morally complex.

Oct 2, 2024

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Daniella

SUCH A GOOD MOVIE BRO

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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CG

This is a very offbeat, yet funny and touching movie of both mother and son, who may or may not. realize that both are just the same chip of the old block. See it you will be pleasantly surprised.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

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K M

Good movie about family dynamics.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Helen

Good acting but very dry

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Santiago G

Boring, cringey and hard to watch. I stopped it at about 40 minutes in (that's around half way through), because nothing had happened yet, the characters were hateful and it was painful to watch them interact with other people. I came back to it to try and give it another chance. Still left disappointed. The acting and camera work, set up, vibe, all were good. The music was very loud and annoying during scene transitions. But the story in and of itself was extremely dull. I believe the points it wanted to make could've been addressed in half the time and give a better development to characters and relationships and lead them to a better conclusion. But nearly 3/4 of the the runtime, show people talking, extensively, and in detail, about stuff, you as a watcher, already understood several scenes ago. So why repeat? Characters don't change or grow much during the film, if only, the mother does, and a little bit at that, and then, right at the moment something seems to be going on, the movie just ends. I was surprised this was labeled as a comedy. I barely found anything funny in it. If only a couple grins and chuckles out of how incredibly awkward the boy was with his crush. But that got old quickly and it just started being painful to watch. If I'm to give this movie something, it's that it left me thinking about how self absorbed we can be and uninterested in our closest ones. I'll give it one and a half stars just for that. But wouldn't watch it again, nor recommend it to anyone. Rotten.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/11/25

Full Review

Pedro Henrique C

When You Finish Saving The World narrates a conflict between a mother and a rebellious son and even puts social politics in the middle of this mess, if the film had a little more development would be much better.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/22/25

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Jesse Eisenberg

Director

Julianne Moore

Evelyn

Finn Wolfhard

Ziggy

Billy Bryk

Kyle

Alisha Boe

Actor

Jay O. Sanders

Actor

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When You Finish Saving the World: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Evelyn (Julianne Moore) has devoted herself to helping people in hard times, but she struggles to connect with her son Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard), an aspiring internet star oblivious to the problems of the world. As Evelyn attempts to become a parent figure to an unassuming teenager she meets at her shelter, and Ziggy fumbles through his pursuit of a brilliant and politically conscious young woman at his high school, this emotional comedy reveals a funny and sharply perceptive portrait of a mother and son who may seem at odds but who are more alike than either would care to admit.

Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Producer: Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone
Screenwriter: Jesse Eisenberg
Distributor: A24
Production Co: CAA Media Finance, Universal Films, Fruit Tree Media
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 20, 2023, Wide
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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