Tom Hanks’ best acting partner may be an inanimate object.
He proved that in “Cast Away.” Now, he’s doing essentially the same thing in “Finch.”
Like a retrospective of some of his greatest moments, “Finch” lets Hanks draw on those skills that make viewers laugh, cry and love him even more. Opposite a robot, he’s unbeatable.
Hanks plays a robotics engineer and is one of the few folks still alive in St. Louis — watch for Easter eggs — after a solar event all but wiped out civilization. Kept company by his dog, Goodyear, he realizes his days are numbered, even though the pet’s aren’t. To ensure Goodyear is taken care of, he creates a robot and teaches it how to drive, question authority and, oddly enough, care.
The robot — named Jeff (and played sweetly by Caleb Landry Jones, through a motion-capture process) — becomes a great sounding board and repository for Finch’s stories. Gradually, we understand what the man has been through and why he wants someone to care for Goodyear.
Hanks does such an amazing job playing off his manufactured friend, you’ll want them to have many adventures before it’s time to kick the tires.
Directed by Miguel Sapochnik, “Finch” captures the isolation, desperation and resignation one of the last men on Earth feels. It isn’t depressing — just reflective. With Jeff and Goodyear as his traveling companions, Finch can muse on what was and, in the process, remind others not to take anything for granted.
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