Running Time: 104 minutes
This film from Sony Pictures will be released exclusively at theaters on November 1st.
One has to give credit where credit is due. Director Robert Zemekis isn’t afraid to experiment and try to tell stories in new ways. While he began his career with big Hollywood hits like Romancing the Stone and Back to the Future, he’s consistently been attempting to incorporate new storytelling techniques. Who Framed Roger Rabbit was an early example of a movie mixing live action with animation, while Cast Away featured a lone man sharing his innermost thoughts with an inanimate object. Later, the filmmaker became one of the first to utilize motion capture digital animation in The Polar Express, and tried his best in The Walk to use 3D to maximum effect.
Here is his latest effort, which is also told in a unique manner… a stationary camera on a plot of land, telling the story of one single space and all life in it since the time of dinosaurs. Admittedly, the bulk of the movie is set in a living room, revolving around Richard Young (Tom Hanks), his wife Margaret (Robin Wright), as well as his father Al (Paul Bettany) and mother Rose (Kelly Reilly). But the film constantly jumps through other time periods, showing people who have resided on or near the very same site. Viewers see bits and pieces of their lives through until the present day.
This is an intriguing premise, but the end result is a bit of a mixed bag. There are several scenes that are very relatable, even when they’re quite simply designed. Bits featuring a new father and mother playing and interacting with children are both funny and tug at the heartstrings. Hanks is, of course, incredibly skilled at portraying the everyman and does so here expertly. The de-aging work on the faces may not be perfectly seamless, but also isn’t a distraction, marking another advancement in technology.
A few observations made by the characters are amusing and I also appreciated the bittersweet tone of the picture. There is emotional resonance in seeing the characters age, as well as feel pangs of regret over the way life has turned out. The idea that most individuals ultimately leave their abode because of tragedy, leaving to make a new start somewhere else, or simply aging out of the home (just leaving ghosts of their existence behind), is an honest and poignant one.
While these ideas are interesting and can be effective, the film certainly is not perfect. In fact, plenty of the dramatic beats are anything but subtle. References to a famous individual or two are forced. When there’s a significant character trait or issue between the characters, it is repeated in a blunt fashion. It is easy to see why such methods are used. There are some big life events shown in various households, but the perpetual use of visuals and digital effects are so prevalent that it seems as if some of the cast have to chew a bit of scenery just to compete.
The story also jumps around too much. We’re often in one era for little more than a minute before being moved decades, or even centuries, in time. The transitional devices are interestingly achieved, but the constant fluttering around can make it difficult to feel settled on any character and their plight. And while we witness the child of Richard and Margaret become a teen, she disappears from the household in the final section of the timeline, which seems like a missed opportunity to deal with ever-changing family roles over a lifetime.
This is an odd picture to rate, as the constant hoping does ultimately detract from the narrative. Yet, the film is inventive and original, occasionally delivering an emotionally potent moment that parallels something in our own lives. And, as a critic, it is apparent that we constantly rail against conventional entertainment, only to complain about the lack of formalism when we do get what we’ve been asking for.
In the end, Here is an interesting picture that doesn’t quite hit the mark, but has imaginative and inventive moments. I would also be curious to see it again in a few years, as some of the filmmaker’s work has been proven to be ahead of its time. Upon first viewing, this one feels messy, but as one could argue, so is life. The film won’t be for everyone, but viewers curious for something different might appreciate it.