#REVIEW: “FINCH”

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

The Earth has been ravaged and humanity is all but extinct, searching for scraps and trying desperately to stay alive in a scorching desert wasteland. Wanting to keep his dog Goodyear safe, brilliant robotics engineer Finch (Tom Hanks) creates a robot, who later names himself Jeff (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones), to protect him should anything bad happen. When the trio are forced to take a dangerous journey West, Jeff must learn what it means to be human and how to survive.

Rather than being your standard post-apocalyptic Thriller about saving what remains of humanity, FINCH is instead much more intimate and introspective. The journey and the mission revolve around the dog, who has no world saving abilities. That alone makes FINCH a refreshing and unique experience, and the deliberate low stakes adventure makes for a more pleasant film that subverts many of your expectations (even as it cribs from many, many films we have seen before). Where other films would be informed by multiple flashbacks to provide context, all we get here is one short flashback and brief exposition drops from Hanks.

While the Trailers suggest a more action-packed film, Director Miguel Sapochnik (who won Emmys for his work on Game of Thrones) is more interested in the interplay between Finch, Goodyear and Jeff, and extrapolates on the joys that come from Jeff learning new things. Think of it as Cast Away, but Wilson can talk and actually do things as opposed to just staring morbidly at Hanks for two hours. It is a clever rift on paper and makes for many funny, heartfelt scenes. Unfortunately, the beats between those scenes are over stretched and tedious to get through. The journey just is not nearly as compelling as it should be, and the core concepts of what it means to be human do not really take hold until the end of the Film. Even in comparing to Cast Away, there is little to latch-onto and not a whole lot of excitement. Sure, a scene where the trio try to survive a freak tornado storm is exciting. The driving along before and afterwards, not so much.

That said, Hanks still turns in a great performance as Finch. We often take for granted how incredible a talent he is, and its lesser roles like this that really solidify his legacy. He puts in the work and the raw emotions here, holding your attention even when it begins to wane. When he is on-screen, interacting with Goodyear and Jeff, you are watching a master Thespian at work. He understands the assignment better than so many working actors today and his presence alone elevates FINCH into a must-watch. Jones, who typically takes on more intense and offbeat characters, shines as the voice of Jeff (who appears to have been created with a mix of puppetry and CGI). He has a bit of a Russian accent that comes in and out at times, yet his infections and genuine curiosity make for a wonderful character. His banter with Hanks and the dog are truly enjoyable. I just wish FINCH was as consistently good as Jones and Hanks are, instead of only being great in parts.

FINCH is available to stream on Apple TV+ now.