Here reunites many team members behind the Oscar-winning Forrest Gump but it is not among the top tier in Robert Zemeckis’s filmography.

My initial comments to the rep after the screening: “Not enough dinosaurs. Needs more dinosaurs.” In fairness, I was not expecting dinosaurs to show up at any point in the film. And yet, they did. At times, I found myself thinking of Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life and wondering if it’s supposed to be intentionally funny or just this bad of a film. I so badly wanted to just sit there and shout, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!? Alas, I kept my thoughts to myself or at least I hope I did. The narrative has some major issues. Up until the final moments, the camera stays on the exact same spot of land from prehistoric times until some point during the pandemic, with the final moments coming in 2022. It’s fascinating to see the evolution through the centuries in terms of the plot of land.

Of all the throughlines, Richard Young (Tom Hanks) and Margaret (Robin Wright) get the majority of screentime. After learning that Margaret is pregnant with their daughter, the basically forgo their life dreams of becoming an artist and lawyer, respectively. Instead, life has other plans. But frustratingly for Margaret, it means living in the same house as Richard’s parents, Al (Paul Bettany) and Rose (Kelly Reilly). Despite begging Richard to buy a house, he always cites the economy and taking out a mortgage as the reasons for living in his childhood home. Eventually, his parents make the move to Florida but even then, fate has different plans in store.

My issues with the film notwithstanding, it allows us to get a first-hand look at the generational differences. Al fought during WWII and his PTSD led him towards alcohol. On top of this, we see how growing up during the Great Depression also has an impact when it comes to having a job. Despite it all, he also wants better for Richard. They eventually sort through their issues in Al’s later years, for what it’s worth.

Other narratives include an Indigenous couple (Joel Oulette and Dannie McCallum) living in the early 1600s. Pauline (Michelle Dockery) and her aviation-obsessed husband, John (Gwilym Lee), move into the house after it is built in 1907, staying there through 1918. Leo (David Fynn) & Stella Beekman (Ophelia Lovibond) move into the house in 1925, moving out in 1944. Al and Rose Young move into the house in 1945. Richard eventually sells the house in 2005–Helen, Devon and son Justin move in ten years later, leaving in 2021.

While Forrest Gump would probably not win the Oscar today, Here doesn’t even belong in the same category. Yes, there are laughs, tears. and stories that might resonate with audiences. And yes, there is a strong pedigree of talent involved. Ultimately, it’s a letdown of a film when you consider it’s from the man that gave us one of the greatest trilogies of all time with Back to the Future. Interestingly enough, there’s an I Wanna Hold Your Hand easter egg–an homage to the first feature directed by Zemeckis. Unfortunately, the split-screen narrative–inspired by Richard McGuire’s graphic novel–proves to be too distracting in telling the overall story. If there’s a message to take away from the film, it’s to never let anyone stop you from pursuing your dreams. It is a thread that is all too common throughout the film.

The film properly depicts Benjamin Franklin’s relationship with William Franklin. At no point could I figure out where they were setting the film. My initial guess was Pennsylvania but after looking online, it might very well be New York or New Jersey. That said, Wikipedia links to a book review that suggests that the book uses the Proprietary House in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The film’s production notes says that the colonial house was built in 1766–the actual house was built in 1762-64. As for La-Z-Boy, they could not be more wrong about the furniture’s history couldn’t be more wrong regardless of city. The film would have you believe that it was invented in the early 1940s–wrong, wrong, and wrong.

Believe it or not, I still need to comment on the film’s CGI. What is there to say? Martin Scorsese, Robert Zemeckis is not. This is not to say anything bad about the filmmaker but if you’re going to spend this much money to de-age your two stars, why focus on the other time periods? Again, we’re going back and forth with a narrative that is more confusing than–well, you get the idea.

Good luck trying to make any sense of Here. The constant back and forth with the narrative really makes it hard to follow Here. I’m still trying despite Jedi Master Yoda saying do or do not, there is no try.

DIRECTOR: Robert Zemeckis
SCREENWRITERS: Eric Roth & Robert Zemeckis
CAST: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Dockery

Sony Pictures will release Here in theaters on November 1, 2024. Grade: 2/5

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