Finch Is Familiar But Delightful Tom Hanks Crowd Pleaser (FILM REVIEW)

Rating: A-

Tom Hanks is an actor who can get away with, quite frankly, kind of a lot.

There are roles that he takes that, in the hands of a lesser actor, might be veer into sappy territory. Yet, in his hands, there’s an earnestness that creates, at the very least, an illusion of nuance that elevates not just the character he plays but the movie in which he exists.

It isn’t hard to see how easy it would’ve been for Finch to veer wildly off course. This is a film that doesn’t particularly have anything new to say or do, and a lesser performer could have easily failed to find that balance that Hanks is capable to bringing to so many roles. It is largely (though not entirely) his charisma that makes this post-apocalyptic tale as charming as it is, and, like so many Tom Hanks Films, he lifts its simple, if not well-trod, tale to delightful heights.

Co-written by Craig Luck and Ivor Powell, and directed by Miguel Sapochnik (best known for his work on Game of Thrones, which includes series high episodes like “Battle of the Bastards” as well as series low episodes like “The Bells”), Finch is a film that achieves greatness almost in spite of itself. Thanks to a standout performance from Hanks (who brings his characteristic charm to a character who’s not easy to like) and a fun turn from Caleb Landry Jones, the film rises above the inherent sappiness of its screenplay to become a poignant meditation on what it means to be alive

Hanks plays the titular Finch, a man alone in an apocalyptic world suffering from the effects of a devastating solar flare. The UV radiation and heat have wracked his body, leaving him inching every closer to the death that lurks on the horizon. Unwilling to let his dog go without companionship after his death, Finch, a former engineer for a tech company, builds a robot, Jeff (Jones) so that someone might be able to take care of his furry friend. With time not on his side, Finch must teach Jeff what it means to live in a world that, increasingly, has nothing to live for.

There’s nothing particularly new about either post-apocalyptic survival tales or a boy and his robot stories, but somehow the combination of the two tropes creates a recipe for simple delights and charms that are impossible to resist. Save for brief flashbacks and a faceless menace that follows them for a while, Finch, Jeff, and the dog, Goodyear, are the only three characters in the movie. This allows for intimate, character-driven storytelling that gives us glimpses of the wider world in which they inhabit. 

Hanks plays largely against type with Finch, whose isolation and impending death have left him cantankerous and, well, kind of mean. And yet, he brings enough of that Hanks charm to the role to give Finch a real sense of depth. His crotchety attitude, in Hanks’ hands, is given an air of pain beyond just the trauma of being one of the few survivors of an extinction level event. He’s never really needed to make connections with people, and the absence of anyone to connect with adds layers to his pain.

Jeff, meanwhile, is the latest in a long line of fun robot characters who show the audience what it means to be human through the act of gaining consciousness. Landry lends a childlike naivete to the robot, who’s really only a couple of weeks old by the time the movie ends. Obviously, this naivete lends to a softening of Finch’s heart as he gets closer to his demise, but the relationship the two build, while conflicted, is ultimately heartwarming.

Even though Finch doesn’t offer anything particularly new to the post-apocalyptic genre, its so earnest in what it does that its charms are impossible to fight. The film, while far from perfect, is still a delightful and charming examination of what it means to be human and alive. While it most likely won’t come to any acclaim during this awards season, Finch is still one of the year’s most fun and moving film experiences.

Finch is now available to stream on AppleTV+.

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