FINCH

The odd couple dynamic between Tom Hanks and his robot adds charm to Finch even if the film never breaks free from the all too predictable tropes of the post-apocalyptic genre.

Novelty is not a reason to check out Finch. The picture is a direct descendent from the classic Richard Matheson story The Last Man on Earth and adds in plenty of familiar plot and character traits from the many sci-fi movies that were inspired by it.

But if nothing else, Finch is a story well told, which goes a long way in this post-apocalyptic road trip by a grizzlied old man, his dog and his self-made android. The pace could have been quickened a bit and the morals given a rougher edge, but by and large the movie keeps you entertained for long stretches.

Most of what works in Finch can be attributed to the cameraderie between Tom Hanks' titular character and his exquisitely designed robot, drolly named Jeff and played with aloof charm by consumate character actor Caleb Landry Jones.

The charming dynamic between the two recalls a previous Tom Hanks film, Cast Away, with the inanimate volleyball replaced by a robot who, unsurprisingly, little by little learns what it means to be human.

This oddball paring isn't quite enough to elevate Finch vastly above similar post-apocalyptic fare, yet it gives the film a surprising amount of heart. You'll just have to take the underwhelming, predictable denouement with it.

release: 2021

director: Miguel Sapochnik

starring: Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones, Marie Wagenman, Oscar Avila