Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson in ‘The Man from Toronto’
As usual for a Netflix original that boasts established movie stars and a theatrical-style pedigree, The Man from Toronto was the streamer’s most-watched movie last weekend, with a solid (but not superlative) 53.8 million global hours. That translates to around 29 million full views of the 112-minute action comedy (105+ credits). However, as of today, Illumination’s Sing 2 (grossing $407 million) has become Netflix’s most-watched movie in the US, citing lack of legs and lack of enthusiasm.
That would make sense since The Man from Toronto is unusually lousy, which explains why Sony’s release, due for an August theatrical release, was shipped to Netflix with little pre-release hype. I can’t blame Netflix for streaming a terrible movie they didn’t make, but it doesn’t help its reputation as a glorified direct-to-video outlet for our streaming age.
The problems with The Man from Toronto are myriad, including an unsympathetic main character (Kevin Hart’s seemingly clueless get-rich-quick schemer who ends up mistaken for a hit man while on vacation with his wife), a miscast comedic character ( Woody Harrelson, filling in for Jason Statham after the latter retired.
Pairing up Hart and Statham, two artists who have a loose working relationship (Hart made a cameo appearance in Hobbs & Shaw) and a specific on-screen persona, Harrelson offers little connection to Hart. It’s like My Fellow Americans, which couldn’t replicate Grumpy Old Man by teaming Jack Lemon with James Garner instead of Walter Mattheau.
There’s also a kind of smooth cut action for PG-13 that negates a lot in terms of style and inventiveness of the various matchups. There’s a long one-shot ending that suitably impresses even if you can see the seams more than usual. The closest thing to a novel is an extended beat that feels copied from Rush Hour, an obvious smash hit that wasn’t exactly considered a landmark action movie in 1998. (I’d say Rush Hour 2 is the best *movie of action* from Brett Ratner’s Chris Tucker/Jackie Chan trilogy).
The biggest problem with The Man from Toronto, both in terms of its existence and what it represents as a “Netflix original,” is that it’s a pale imitation, a “mockbuster,” of other movies that everyone involved has already made. For Kevin Hart, it’s a painfully inferior version of Central Intelligence, the fantastic two-handed game he did with Dwayne Johnson in the summer of 2016, where he played an underachieving but sympathetic guy who gets roped into an espionage mission by a former classmate.
For Woody Harrelson, it’s an inferior version of his two mid-’90s buddy action movies (The Cowboy Way with Keifer Sutherland and Money Train with Wesley Snipes), neither of which was a classic of its time (although Money Train gave Jennifer Lopez her breakout role).
As for Patrick Hughes, it’s profoundly inferior to The Hitman’s Bodyguard (now at Peacock) which paired a funny but committed Ryan Reynolds and a landscape-munching Samuel L. Jackson and grossed $171 million on a $30 million budget. He’s a solid action director who’s made a career of directing non-fantasy action movies, which are hardly heard these days on a theatrical/non-VOD level (with all due respect to Isaac Florentine and Jesse V. Johnson).
I’m sorry about the PG-13 edits done on Expendables 3 (now on Roku), but the live-action choreography is solid, while their debut Red Hill (currently on Amazon) is a lean, mean-spirited action drama that plays like a modern day version. and self-reflective from High Noon.
There’s no reason to settle for Man from Toronto. Even if you’re stuck at home, you can try any number of gritty, pulpy VOD action movies (Tubi and Netflix have loads of Scott Adkins and/or Michael Jai White starring) not to mention the various foreign action blasts. that can occasionally blow your mind and put most things in Hollywood to shame. Heck, in the same service as The Man from Toronto is RRR, a three-hour Indian action spectacular that, at its most unapologetically over-the-top and melodramatic, feels like a challenge to James Wan and James Cameron.
However, Netflix is betting that you’ll watch Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson and press “play.” Honestly, that Netflix took this almost qualifies as a mitzvah for theaters. Again Netflix didn’t make the movie and if Sony had released it theatrically they would have been even less kind to it (you can google my review of The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard) as in theaters now there’s kind of a stage to put or shut up .
That it became a Netflix movie precisely because it was so bad only adds to the narrative that the streaming giant has become the modern version of direct-to-video and the home of inferior versions of previously popular theatrical films that are available on other streaming platforms. . The Man from Toronto may be a brief ratings hit, but (like The Cloverfield Paradox or the recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel) it does Netflix more harm than good.
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Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes. See on Netflix.
What movies are currently on HBO Max?
critically acclaimed
- Drive my car.
- Nightmare Alley (HBO)
- The consequences.
- Judas and the Black Messiah (HBO)
- Promising Young Woman (HBO)
- Jester.
- The Personal Story of David Copperfield (HBO)
- No Country for Old Men (HBO)
What is Kevin Hart’s newest movie?
What is the name of Kevin Hart’s new movie? Kevin Hart Takes Big Leap To Drama With Netflix Thriller ‘True Story’: ‘I Know I Can Do It Right’
What is the last movie Kevin Hart made?
In 2019, Hart’s film The Upside, his first leading role in a drama, was released in theaters. Read also : Amazon Prime Video: Everything you would like to see in June 2022.
Is the man from toronto a remake?
| the man from toronto | |
|---|---|
| Budget | $75 million |
Was the man from Toronto filmed in Toronto? Ironically, the film was shot almost entirely in Ontario, so Toronto, its capital, as well as Hamilton, Milton, and Brampton, will frequently appear disguised as somewhere else. Read also : There’s a new movie to watch on Netflix.
Where was the movie The Man from Toronto filmed?
Ironically, the film was shot almost entirely in Ontario, so Toronto, its capital, as well as Hamilton, Milton, and Brampton, will frequently appear disguised as somewhere else. Read also : NBCUniversal, Google’s leading campaigner to partner with Netflix for its ad support program – WSJ.
Where was the man filmed? Filming took place in Toronto, Hamilton and Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
