THE MAN FROM TORONTO

US, 2022, 112 minutes, Colour.

Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, Ellen Barkin, Jasmine Matthews, Kaley Cuoco, Pierson Fode.

Directed by Patrick Hughes.

Not sure why Toronto! As it turns out, the handler of a range of hitmen, American and International, controls a Man from Miami, Man from Tokyo… Anyway, it turns out that Woody Harrelson is the Man from Toronto.

And, while it is Woody Harrelson’s film, is very much a film for Kevin Hart. He does the same comic role over and over again but audiences enjoy it. He has the skill of being both irritating and ingratiating at the same time. Needless to say, they make quite the Odd Couple!

We see Kevin Hart as Teddy, a would-be gymnast, with all kinds of creative ideas (including boxing without hitting an opponent), advertising on social media but everything collapsing every time. He is married to Lori (Jasmine Matthews) and is planning on treating her to something special for her birthday. Instead, he gets the sack. We see Woody Harrelson, all in black, black hat, bald head, driving a sleek car, arriving for an interrogation, thugs eager to see his performance because they have heard so much about him, the victim terrified, the Man from Toronto able to extract information just by menacing threats.

How could these two possibly come together! By mistake, course. The Man from Toronto gets an urgent call to come to Virginia. In the meantime, Teddy drives to the house which he has rented for the birthday celebration. Wrong house. Another victim, admiring thugs, a checking photo taken of Teddy arriving with his box of goods and picking up a knife. He must be the Man from Toronto. But then the FBI raided the house.

Since Teddy is known to some criminals as the Man, the FBI filling him in on the background of the real Man and deciding that he has to impersonate the Man in order to draw the criminals, especially with the threat of a bomb exploding in the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC. Enter the real Man, who decides that using Teddy as an alternate is a good idea, especially when they suddenly fly to Puerto Rico, have a new job, Teddy with an earpiece getting advice from the Man, with Teddy-Kevin Hart obviously enjoying the impersonation and, despite mishaps, relishing the situation – and succeeding.

Enter the Man from Miami, threats, the cutting off of a thumb necessary for the bombing! And some acrobatic hijinks in a vast building in Puerto Rico.

We know that it will all turn out well, Teddy turning up for the birthday dinner, accompanied by the Man, who is infatuated by Lori’s friend (Kaley Cuoco) who urges him to dance – but, then they have to escape, face the Handler (her face previously not seen but the voice that of Ellen Barkin!), face the Latin American powers who are wanting to explode the bomb…

Some postscripts, the Man and the truth about him (more about Mr Nice Guy), but Teddy still in trouble because he was the cause the destruction of the Man’s special car – friendship but expectations of repayment.

Directed by Australian Patrick Hughes, Red Hill, Expendables, Hitman’s Wife Bodyguard.

1. An odd couple comedy-drama? Domestic relationships and careers? Hitmen and commissions? And the two tangling?
2. The variety of American cities, and visits to Toronto, to Utah, to the west, to Virginia, to Miami and to Puerto Rico? Atmosphere and flavour? Musical score?
3. Teddy’s story? Kevin Hart’s screen presence, comedy, cheeky, incessant talking, comedy routines? Advertising for his gym experiments, failures? Boxing without touching? His being fired? His marriage to Lori? Her birthday, the plans? Renting the house? Driving there, the mistaken address? The criminals, the police and FBI raid?
4. The FBI plan, for him to become the Man from Toronto, his fears, dithering, getting all the information about the background?
5. The man from Toronto, the visit to Utah, dressed in black, the criminals, the interrogation, the sense of menace, bluff and the capitulation? The admiration by the other criminals? The phone calls from the Handler? The next job, travelling to Virginia? Arriving late?
6. Teddy, with his equipment, the photo with the knife, acceptance that he was the Man from Toronto? The mixup and the ambiguity, trying to save the man being questioned? The admiration by the gangsters? Fitting into the character?
7. The Handler, not being seen, the commissions, the revelation that she had a man from all different towns and countries? Her greed and the money? The man never having seen her, Teddy and his detecting that she was bluffing, doublecrossing?
8. Teddy, the FBI agents, the tracking device? The phone calls to his wife, her being reassured, the handsome agent helping her with the beauty parlour, dancing…? Teddy anxious?
9. The man from Toronto taking over, the pursuit of the truck, Teddy and the man and the commission, going to Puerto Rico? The tension on the plane, the mayhem, pulling the lever, flying out, getting back, the various deaths? The crash landing?
10. The plot, the bomb, the Venezuelan President, the Embassy in Washington, the target? The previous man interrogated giving the code? The board room, the four men and the interrogation as to who was Greene? Teddy with the earpiece, the advice from The Man, clumsiness, Teddy making good, the knife, the fears, the admission of the truth? The issue of his thumbprint? Getting the thumb?
11. The Handler, getting the man from Miami, suave, the pursuits, the fights, getting to Puerto Rico, the confrontation, the farcical aspects of Teddy, the vast space, falling, the thumb?
12. The dinner in Washington, Lori very happy, her friend present as well? The Man coming, saying he was awkward with women, the meal, and encouraging him to dance, his change of heart? Teddy seeing the man from Miami, the pursuit, the fights?
13. The visit to the plotters, the plans, the Handler and the man from Miami, Teddy saying the Man from Toronto was his driver, trying to persuade the Latin Americans that the Handler was false?
14. The melodrama, the fights, the Handler pursuing them into the factory, her death?
15. The Man from Toronto, the story of his growing up, his grandfather, the bear, yet the revelation of his soft heart in Minnesota, the deals with the Handler, Debora as his special car, never killing anyone, able to bluff with a sense of menace?
16. Getting Teddy to the railway station for Lori, and the train destroying the car?
17. A year later, the restaurant, the Man running the restaurant, relationship with Anna? But still the threats about the destroyed car, Teddy paying up? His success at the gym – but the continued threat?
18. Entertaining odd couple, action, comedy, mayhem?