Here Review: A Mile Wide and an Inch Deep

Theatrical Movie Review - Drama

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright star in HERE.

When it comes to films that will cause an emotional gut punch, director Robert Zemeckis has his share. But while his new film Here certainly attempts to harken back to some of his previous work, most notably Forrest Gump, it is ultimately a cheap imitation of what made that film a classic.

Here spans the entirety of existence but focuses on one very particular spot of the world. The static camera angle starts with the age of dinosaurs, through the ice age, and then through the ages of industrialization when houses were built, including the house that would eventually be the residence of the Young family.

While we see others who live in that space, the focus is on Al Young (Paul Bettany) and his wife, Rose (Kelly Reilly), who purchase the home through the GI Bill when Al gets home from the war. They raise three children there, including their son Richard (Tom Hanks), who eventually lives there with his wife Margaret (Robin Wright) when they experience an unexpected pregnancy.

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright star in HERE.

Watching the movie, there is a compelling and potentially moving story in there, but overall, Here gets lost in the overarching theme of the circle of life while not providing any compelling characters or narrative. There are at least five other families depicted living in that house (or the one across the street), but none complete any kind of throughline for the story. The Indigenous couple that lives on the land and the black family that lives there in the present seem to exist only to bring up “important issues” while not actually having any kind of characters.

And maybe some of that would work if the story of the Young family was engrossing, but even that didn’t come together. The characters are flat, and despite the talented cast, the performances are also lackluster. Few actors can tug on the heartstrings like Hanks, but even he could not elicit much of an emotional response. Wright has one poignant moment at her fiftieth birthday party, but beyond that, the movie fails to connect.

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright star in HERE.

The gimmick of the static camera is interesting, and the use of in-panel transitions can construct some lovely blended scenes. Unfortunately, they never connected the stories of the people who lived in the space in a way that created something to hold onto. Instead, it just felt like a neat film trick that didn’t add anything to the movie itself.

It’s tough to go into a film by a filmmaker as esteemed as Zemeckis and come out calling it soulless, but this movie simply doesn’t deliver the goods. In his best films, Zemeckis taps into a sense of humanity and connection that allows us to see the world differently, perhaps with a bit more compassion. Unfortunately, Here feels like a collection of clichés strung together with some clever filmmaking techniques rather than the profound human experience that it boasts.

This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on November 3, 2024.