Skip to content
Wherever I Look Logo

Wherever I Look

  • HomeExpand
    • About Wherever I LookExpand
      • Our Writers
    • Editorial Guidelines
    • Cookie & Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • HTML Sitemap
  • TV Shows
  • Movies
  • Character Guide
  • Live Performances
  • Videos
Wherever I Look Logo
Wherever I Look

Home - Movies - Here (2024): Review and Summary

Here (2024): Review and Summary

In “Here,” we watch as likable people live on this one plot of land for hundreds of years in a narrative that jumps around a bit much.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted onOctober 31, 2024 10:33 PMOctober 31, 2024 10:33 PM

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.


Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.


  • Plot Summary
    • Character Descriptions
      • William Franklin
      • Pauline
      • John
      • Lee
      • Stella
      • Al
      • Rose
      • Richard
      • Margaret
      • Devon
      • Helen
    • Other Noteworthy Information
  • Review
    • Audience
    • Highlights
      • The Editing & Story Of A Home
    • On The Fence
      • It's Easy To Feel Disconnected From The Characters
      • Some Families Are More Developed Than Others
  • What To Check Out Next & How To Check This Out

Film Length1 Hour 44 Minutes
Release DateOctober 31, 2024
Advisory RatingRated PG-13
Initially Available On/ViaTheatrically
Genre(s)Drama
DistributorSony Pictures Releasing
DirectorRobert Zemeckis
WriterEric Roth, Robert Zemeckis
Based On Work ByRichard McGuire
Character NameActor
HelenNikki Amuka-Bird
DevonNicholas Pinnock
MargaretRobin Wright
RichardTom Hanks
RoseKelly Reilly
AlPaul Bettany
StellaOphelia Lovibond
LeeDavid Fynn
JohnGwilym Lee
PaulineMichelle Dockery
William FranklinDaniel Betts

Plot Summary

“Here” focuses on a plot of land in modern Pennsylvania and everything that has happened to it, from the fall of the dinosaurs to the age of Benjamin Franklin, the rise of aviation, all the way to the Covid pandemic. Throughout the time, we follow an indigenous couple and see William Franklin and his wife, Pauline and her husband John, the creator of the Laz-Z-Boy Lee, and his wife Stella, then Al and Rose, who give birth to Richard, who marries Margaret. Lastly, Devon and Helen Harris close us out as the last owners of the house in modern times. We watch children grow up, people die, and everything in between and see all the memories one plot of land holds.

Character Descriptions

William Franklin

William Franklin is the son of Benjamin Franklin, who did not support his father’s participation in the American Revolution.

Pauline

Pauline is a mother and wife who is very prim and proper. She didn’t really like the house when her husband John bought it, mainly because William Franklin’s home, across the street, she found to be an eyesore.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Boy Kills World.”

John

John is Pauline’s husband. He loves airplanes, especially the kind you can personally fly, and he wanted to buy the house because an aerodrome was being built nearby.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Lee

Lee is the inventor of one of the world’s first recliners and is married to Stella.

Stella

Stella is Lee’s eccentric wife.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made.”

Al

Kelly Reilly as Rose and Paul Bettany as Al

Al is a World War II veteran who got the house on the GI Bill because his wife, Rose, wanted it for them to raise their family. Like his eldest son, Richard, he worked in sales for most of his career, with one of the things he sold being vacuums.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Uncle Frank.”

Rose

Rose is Al’s wife, who raised her children, looked after Richard’s daughter, and loved having her family under one roof, especially during the holidays.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “A Haunting In Venice.”

Richard

Tom Hanks as Richard aka Ricky

Richard is Al and Rose’s eldest. He originally was into the arts, but he honed in on drawing and painting as he got older. Like his dad, he set aside his dreams to make a living and take care of his family.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “A Man Called Otto.”

Margaret

Robin Wright as Margaret

Margaret is Richard’s high school sweetheart. She originally intended to become a lawyer, but like Richard’s dreams, Margaret’s were set aside once she got pregnant in her late teens.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Unbreakable.”

Devon

Devon, we don’t learn anything beyond the fact that he has a teenage son with Helen.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “The Book of Clarence.”

Helen

Like Devon, we don’t learn anything really about Helen beyond that she is married with one child. Also, both know that with their 16-year-old son driving soon, they have to talk to him about how to interact with the police if ever pulled over.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Knock At The Cabin.”

Other Noteworthy Information

  • Movie Contains: Cursing, Drinking
  • The distributor is also known for “It Ends With Us.”
  • The writer is also known for “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

Audience

“Here” is for those who like movies that are sweet and endearing in some ways but aren’t tearjerkers.

Highlights

The Editing & Story Of A Home

Throughout the film, we jump from one family to another, sometimes not for a whole scene but just a moment. To make this visually appealing and not just fade or cut from one to another, only a section of the screen changes, partly to show how the room transforms, if not people. It leads to the type of appreciation people who love old things have as they look at buildings or places as storytellers.

It reminds you that places didn’t just pop up because you needed housing. Never mind, every scratch, marking, and more holds a story that may have been hidden with wallpaper, partly covered by paint, but it still happened. People still held some of their most significant moments, good or bad, in the place you now call home. Which as you see that piece of land evolve, furniture move, and things happen, it can make you look at your own home and wonder about what happened since it was built.

On The Fence

It’s Easy To Feel Disconnected From The Characters

You would think that with all the families going through, especially the deaths, you might get emotional and in your feelings, but you may not. One of the issues with “Here” is that it is very liberal with time jumping to the point that it may take you at least half of the movie to really get a grasp on who is who. Also, because it coerces context clues to know the time period, you might think we’re not always going forward in time.

So, as much as the film advertises Tom Hanks and Robin Wright as the leads, and we watch Hank’s character, Richard, go from a baby to an old man, I wouldn’t say Hank’s charm hits as it usually can. You’ll get a grasp on who Richard is, as you will everyone else, in terms of their dreams, their issues, and things like that, but sometimes it is like seeing that friend you only do a few times a year. With “Here,” it will often feel like you’re playing catch up as we bounce from family to family, and you can never fully get settled for just as you do; you’re catching up with someone else with a completely different scenario and in a different time period.

Some Families Are More Developed Than Others

Off the bat, the indigenous characters are barely part of the film. One minute, they meet, she is pregnant, and then there is one more scene, and that’s it. Their conversations aren’t translated and are short, and then we jump to Helen and Devon with their 16-year-old, and them giving him the talk of how to handle being Black and pulled over by police. From that, we jump back to the 1900s, when Michelle Dockery was talking to her character’s husband about the dangers of flying, and for most, there was just a singular focus.

In comparison, Al and Rose’s family gets the weight of the movie, and this could be because that is the focus of the book. With them, we see Al and Rose buy the house using the GI Bill, raise a few kids, their eldest Richard or Ricky, bring Margaret around, the birth of their first child, decades upon decades of that family living together, and more.

This leads to what can feel like a lopsided movie that only included certain characters to honor the book, not because they had any real investment or desire to tell any story that didn’t have a famous or could attract financing actor.

What To Check Out Next & How To Check This Out

  • Movie Poster for "MaXXXine" featuring Mia Goth as Maxine at a movie premiere

    MaXXXine (2024) – Written Review

  • Albany Road (2024): Review and Summary

    Albany Road (2024): Review and Summary

  • The Holdovers (2023) – Review

    The Holdovers (2023) – Review

Check out our movies page for our latest movie reviews and recommendations.

Where To Watch This:
 
Powered by JustWatch

Follow/Subscribe To Our External Pages

  • YouTube
  • TikTok
  • Amazon
  • Google
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • X

Here (2024): Review

Movie title: Here

Movie description: In “Here,” we watch as likable people live on this one plot of land for hundreds of years in a narrative that jumps around a bit much.

Date published: October 31, 2024

Country: United States

Duration: 1 Hour 44 Minutes

Author: Amari Allah

Director(s): Robert Zemeckis

Actor(s): Nikki Amuka-Bird, Nicholas Pinnock, Robin Wright, Tom Hanks, Kelly Reilly, Paul Bettany, Ophelia Lovibond, David Fynn, Gwilym Lee, Michelle Dockery, Daniel Betts

Genre: Drama

[ More ]

Summary

“Here” is a likable film that jumps around too much through time to cover its expansive cast and get you notably attached to any of the characters.

Overall
76%
76%
  • The Editing & Story Of A Home - 83%
    83%
  • It’s Easy To Feel Disconnected From The Characters - 72%
    72%
  • Some Families Are More Developed Than Others - 74%
    74%
Sending
User Review
0/100 (0 votes)

Pros

  • The Editing & Story Of A Home

Cons

  • It’s Easy To Feel Disconnected From The Characters
  • Some Families Are More Developed Than Others
  • Our Amazon Storefront

Listed Under Categories: Movies, Mixed (Divisive)

Related Tags: Daniel Betts, David Fynn, Drama, Eric Roth, Gwilym Lee, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Dockery, Nicholas Pinnock, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Ophelia Lovibond, Paul Bettany, Rated PG-13, Richard McGuire, Robert Zemeckis, Robin Wright, Sony Pictures Releasing, Theatrically, Tom Hanks

Amari Allah

Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been writing reviews since 2010, with a focus on dramas and comedies.

Facebook Instagram YouTube

Post navigation

Previous Previous
Timeleft (The Strangers Meeting For Dinner App) – Review
NextContinue
Before: Season 1 Episode 3 “The Liar” – Recap and Review

Site Pages

  • Home
  • About Wherever I Look
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie & Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer & Disclosure Policy
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • HTML Sitemap
  • Our Writers
The Wherever I Look logo featuring a film reel, a video game controller, old school TV set, a stage, and more done by artist Dean Nelson.

The overall goal of Wherever I Look is to fill in that space between the average fan and critic and advise you on what’s worth experiencing.

Category Pages

  • Articles
  • Character Guide
  • Collected Quotes
  • Live Peformances
  • Movies
  • Our Latest Reviews
  • TV Series
  • Video Page
Scroll to top

Wherever I Look logo

Welcome to Wherever I Look, your go-to destination for insightful and personable reviews of the latest TV episodes, movies, and live performances. Also, dive into our character guides and discover what’s truly worth your time.

  • Home
    • About Wherever I Look
      • Our Writers
    • Editorial Guidelines
    • Cookie & Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • HTML Sitemap
  • TV Shows
  • Movies
  • Character Guide
  • Live Performances
  • Videos
Search