Boy, time sure does fly.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Marriage can be hell.
If any of these messages strike you as particularly enlightening, you might want to check out “Here” (PG-13, 104 minutes, in theaters), Robert Zemeckis’ epic family drama. Set in one living room – or the site of what will become a living room – as it skips back and forth through history, the film reunites director Zemeckis’ “Forrest Gump” stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright as the husband and wife whose life together becomes the primary focus.
Aside from presenting what occurs throughout history in one location, the film offers three attention-getting gimmicks:
1. Zemeckis uses age-reduction technology so Hanks, 68, and Wright, 58, look like they did in their youth. “Holy cow, it’s the ‘Bosom Babes’ Tom!”
2. Zemeckis has little boxes within shots to transition from one scene or time period to another.
3. Benjamin Franklin makes a brief appearance.
All three serve “Here” as distractions rather than enhancements, though. The boxes are especially annoying. The director deserves credit for trying new things, but that doesn’t mean they work.
Youthful versions of Tom Hanks and Robin Wright appear in “Here.” (Sony Pictures)
The film, meanwhile, aims for a kind of profundity as it explores the rhythms and flows of life, with characters throughout the years experiencing romance, births, family squabbles, the pursuit of dreams, compromises and disappointments, deaths, etc. To emphasize the weight of these experiences, characters will sometimes stand at the forefront of the shot, delivering what seem like stagy soliloquies.
Ah, the trials of the Everyperson.
Aside from Hanks and Wright, the cast includes Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly and Michelle Dockery. That’s an impressive lineup, with Bettany standing out as the Hanks character’s alcoholic dad.
But while Zemeckis and Co. swing for the fences, “Here” fails to connect. ** (out of four)
** Click here for Tim Miller’s previous movie columns for Cape Cod Wave **
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Tim Miller
Tim Miller is co-president of the Boston Society of Film Critics and a Tomatometer-approved critic. He teaches film and journalism at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or follow him onTwitter @TimMillerCritic. Or you can ignore him completely.
