What’s It About
The plot follows a New York City screw-up named Teddy who is mistaken for the “Man from Toronto” when the two wind up in the same Airbnb. Antics ensue.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
As Kevin Hart’s Teddy clumsily stumbles his way through not one but two cases of mistaken identity in “The Man from Toronto,” I found myself in a remarkably similar state of mind – confused about how a movie consisting of all the right ingredients could turn out so wrong. This 2022 action-comedy, directed by Patrick Hughes and co-starring Woody Harrelson, aims for the buddy comedy sweet spot but lands somewhere in the realm of forgettable Netflix filler. The premise is straightforward enough: Teddy, a failed fitness entrepreneur with a knack for screwing things up, accidentally checks into the wrong Airbnb and is mistaken for the notorious assassin known as “The Man from Toronto” (Harrelson). When the FBI convinces him to continue the charade to help catch terrorists, he’s thrown into an uneasy partnership with the real assassin. From the opening scenes, it’s clear that Hart is doing what Hart does best – playing the hyperactive, motormouthed everyman who finds himself in outlandish circumstances. His physical comedy remains on target, and a couple of scenes showcase his skill at selling panic and discomfort. Harrelson, as the infamous knife-wielding killer, is a good counter to Hart’s character. However, the character is pieced together from assassin tropes we’ve seen done better elsewhere. What’s frustrating about “The Man from Toronto” is the manner in which it chooses to settle for mediocrity at every turn. The action scenes, while competently filmed, lack the stylistic flair or memorable set pieces that give similar genre entries a kick. Director Hughes, who helmed “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” seems content to let sequences play out without pursuing those precious few extra laughs or genuine thrills that would elevate the material to something better. The film’s pacing is marred by a padded middle section wherein the plot complication builds up without adding significant stakes. The emotional investment by the time we reach the third act simply isn’t there, despite attempts at making Harrelson’s character more humanized by way of a half-heartedly developed romantic interest with Kaley Cuoco’s character, criminally wasted as she is Cultural representation in the movie is notable. And although unnecessary, as a Black critic, it’s satisfying to notice that Hart’s character isn’t being reduced to lazy stereotypes – Teddy is merely an earnest dude who has entrepreneurial ambitions and a talent for bumbling. The movie doesn’t, however, significantly engage with cultural elements either. The casting is closer to box-checking than any substantial investigation of identity, perspective, or skills. During an era when films like “Bad Boys” could provide cultural specificity to the action-comedy genre, “The Man from Toronto” is something of a step back to generic form. The script’s faults become increasingly apparent as the film progresses. The dialogue rarely rises above functional, and potentially interesting themes about identity and perception are raised only to be abandoned for the next action sequence. There’s a fascinating idea at the core – how people’s assumptions about who you are can trap or liberate you – but the film seems uninterested in exploring it with any depth. Technical elements are similarly uninspired. The cinematography is decent but unremarkable, the score is not memorable, and the editing is, at times, rough. Much of the film takes place in generic hotel rooms or warehouses instead of the dynamic and diverse Toronto that it is set in. However, the film is entertaining to the extent that Hart and Harrelson have chemistry together. When the script gives them room to play off each other, there are genuine moments of humor. A scene where Teddy attempts to mimic the assassin’s interrogation techniques provides one of the film’s few laugh-out-loud moments. These glimpses of what could have been make the overall mediocrity all the more disappointing. “The Man from Toronto” ultimately suffers from the same problem as many streaming platform originals – it feels designed by an algorithm rather than vision. It’s as if someone input “action comedy + mistaken identity + odd couple pairing” and accepted the first draft that emerged. There’s nothing offensively bad here; it’s just a persistent sense of missed opportunities and potential unrealized. For Hart fans, the film offers enough of his signature humor to justify a casual viewing. Harrelson devotees might appreciate his deadpan delivery, though they’ve seen him in far better form elsewhere. But for viewers seeking the kind of action-comedy that leaves a lasting impression – films like “48 Hrs.,” “Midnight Run,” or even “Central Intelligence” (another Hart vehicle with more spark) – “The Man from Toronto” will likely fade from memory before the credits roll. Amid the wave of Black filmmakers and actors creating more sophisticated and boundary pushing content, “The Man from Toronto” feels like a throwback – happy to try not to offend and be applauded by the star status of its cast. The film appears unable to grasp that audiences, especially Black audiences, are getting smarter in terms of what they expect in representation and storytelling. As I watched Hart’s character again and again fail upward into increasingly ridiculous circumstances, I couldn’t help but see it as an apt metaphor for this film itself – stumbling from one succession of genre cliches to another, sometimes landing a nice joke but incredibly unsatisfying, and not at all earned. “The Man from Toronto” isn’t a terrible film – it’s just thoroughly, aggressively average. That might be the greater sin in a world with unlimited entertainment options. Like Teddy’s failed business ventures, The Man from Toronto has all the right components but somehow fails to bring them together into something memorable.
OUR RATING – A DOWNTRODDEN 4