AN asteroid called Matilda is due to collide with Earth, bringing an end to life on our planet.

Insurance salesman Dodge (Steve Carell) sits in a car with his wife Linda (Nancy Carell) as the radio reports the failure of the final bid to divert Matilda from its trajectory.

Linda flees the vehicle, never to be seen again, and Dodge returns to his daily routine, alone in a rapidly disintegrating world. His friends Warren (Rob Corddry) and Diane (Connie Britton) attempt to set him up with vamp Karen (Melanie Lynskey) but Dodge would rather spend his final days alone.

Until, that is, he meets English rose Penny (Keira Knightley).

With time running out, Dodge helps Penny to shake free from her boyfriend Owen (Adam Brody), so that she can find a flight home to Britain to be reunited with her family.