Movie Review: ‘Finch’

Review by James Lindorf

If you were making a list of things people love on a nearly unanimous level, you wouldn’t have to go far down the list to find dogs, cute robots, and Tom Hanks. The latest Apple+ Original movie “Finch” combines all three into one easily digestible post-apocalyptic story. When a devastating solar flare turns the earth’s atmosphere into swiss cheese, life as we know it comes to a stop. Temperatures peaking at 150 degrees, deadly radiation, and the constant threat of violent weather have dwindled the earth’s population down to almost nothing. If you want to see how Finch (Hanks) and his unusual family survive, make sure to sign up for Apple+ by November 5th, when the movie goes live.

We aren’t given a strict timeline about how long he has been living this way. Still, Finch had to be the most intelligent man alive even before the solar flare. His knowledge is immense and covers a vast array of topics. More than the average person could conceptualize in 3 lifetimes. He is the master of all things mechanical, from wind turbines to solar panels, 30-year-old RVs, and artificially intelligent robots, of which he has two. The adorable Dewey is shaped a bit like Wall-E and speaks in boops and beeps like R2-D2. When we are introduced to this world, Finch is in the final stages of giving life to his next creation, which has yet to receive a name. This new bot will be humanoid in shape, capable of speech, and able to do many if not all of the tasks Finch has had to do on his own for several years. Finch has a plan to bring the new robot online and teach it to interact with the world, but an impending superstorm that will outlast his supplies by weeks moves up the timeline.

The group hits the road intending to travel from St. Louis to San Francisco. They have to make all the predictable stops along the way. They hunt for food, look for medical supplies when Finch is sick, hide from the scariest element of an apocalypse, other people, and find time to bond with the new guy. With each stop, the new bot, who is voiced by a motion-captured Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out), learns a new lesson about life and living in this unforgiving wasteland. The last member of the makeshift family is Goodyear, the dog. He is well behaved but just your standard dog who doesn’t understand how dangerous the world is and will always need help from someone.

Hanks is excellent and commits fully to his role that encompasses scientist, caregiver, and father. It would be easy to compare this to some of his previous works like “Castaway” and “Turner and Hooch,” but the comparisons don’t run deep. In “Castaway,” he was trying to survive until he could get back to his old life; he had a goal in mind beyond seeing another sunrise. In “Finch,” the only goal left is to keep himself and Goodyear alive. The comparisons to Hooch don’t go beyond each movie having a dog. In that one, he and the dog had a contentious relationship and slowly developed into partners. It was basically “Lethal Weapon” with a dog. In “Finch,” there is nothing but love and trust between him and the dog. Goodyear isn’t expected to contribute anything to the cause other than looking cute, unlike Hooch, who was a crime fighter.

“Finch” is light in tone despite putting Hanks in some horrible situations. The plot is predictable but has enough genuine moments to be endearing. A year from now, you may not remember the essential details of “Finch,” but you will remember being charmed by Hanks and a robot. “Finch” is the perfect streaming movie for the holiday season that isn’t about a holiday. It has something everyone in the family can enjoy, and it won’t bring up any offensive or hot-button topics. “Finch” scores a 4 out of 5.

Rating: PG-13 (Brief Violent Images)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Original Language: English
Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Producer: Jacqueline Levine, Kevin Misher, Ivor Powell, Jack Rapke, Robert Zemeckis
Writer: Craig Luck, Ivor Powell
Release Date (Streaming): November 5th, 2021