Finch 

click to enlarge

• Photo Courtesy Of Amblin Partners
• ROADTRIP! In a post-apocalyptic America, robotics engineer Finch Weinberg (Tom Hanks); his dog, Goodyear (Seamus); and a robot named Jeff (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones), hop into a fortified RV and travel west from St. Louis toward San Francisco, in Finch, screening on Apple TV Plus.

What's it rated? PG-13

When? 2021

Where's it showing? Apple TV Plus

Miguel Sapochnik (Repo Men) directs this family-friendly charmer about an ailing robotics engineer named Finch Weinberg, who lives with his dog, Goodyear (Seamus), and a robot (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones) that he created to take care of the dog after his inevitable death. Finch knows his days are numbered. Though his ailment is never disclosed, it may have to do with the destroyed environment.

It's been 10 years since a solar flare put holes in Earth's ozone layer, bringing surface temperatures soaring and creating unsurvivable ultraviolet radiation. Finch has to wear a spacesuit to venture outdoors in daylight, where he's constantly in search of supplies. With a massive storm heading toward St. Louis that's predicted to last 40 days, Finch knows he and Goodyear will both be dead if they can't find a more hospitable area.

The joy of the film is watching Finch bring Jeff online. Like a newborn, Jeff must learn to talk and walk, and—most importantly—learn how to care for Goodyear. They hop into Finch's fortified RV and head west, hoping for the best. It's very sweet watching Jeff learn to care for Goodyear and learn what it means to be human, and Hanks is predictably wonderful. Very young kids might find it overwhelming—it's sort of the end of the world, after all—but at its heart, the story is about holding on to hope and humanity. (115 min.) Δ