Robert Zemeckis' latest movie is insanely ambitious, starting with the dinosaurs and ending in present day with the Roomba. But it's fixed on just one spot.
“Here” reunites Zemeckis, screenwriter Eric Roth and actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, who collaborated on “Forrest Gump.” This time, they’re not telling the larger-than-life story of a man moving through time — they’re telling the centuries-old story of a living room and all the different people who lived there.
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This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, left, with actors Tom Hanks, center, and Robin Wright on the set of "Here." (Sony Pictures via AP)
This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, left, with actors Robin Wright, center, and Tom Hanks on the set of "Here." (Sony Pictures via AP)
This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows Tom Hanks, left, and Robin Wright in a scene from "Here." (Sony Pictures via AP)
Tom Hanks, left, and Robin Wright arrive at the AFI Fest premiere of "Here" on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows Tom Hanks, left, and Robin Wright in a scene from "Here." (Sony Pictures via AP)
Tom Hanks, left, and Robin Wright arrive at the AFI Fest premiere of "Here" on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows Tom Hanks, right, and Robin Wright in a scene from "Here." (Sony Pictures via AP)
In this living room, we see a wedding, a death, a birth, a marriage tested, a funeral, lots of vacuuming, many birthdays, Christmases and Thanksgivings, some sex, adults getting drunk and Jazzercise.
Zemeckis puts the camera at a fixed angle for the movie's entire 105-minute duration without moving. It’s not so strange after a while — so bursting with life is each shot and vignette — but there’s a gnawing feeling that we’re in some sort of film experiment, like testing an audience on how long they'll watch old security camera footage.
The camera may not move but the eras do, melting back and forth in time from pre-history, to the 1700s, to the 1940s, back to hunter-gatherer times and then the ’60s and ’70s, before hitting the early 1900s. It begins and ends in 2022.
Hanks and Wright form the movie's spine, as Richard and Margaret. Over dozens of little scenes, we watch him as a boy grow up in the house and fall in love with Margaret, marry, move her in, have a baby and inherit it all. Whether they survive as a couple isn't guaranteed.
Zemeckis is a filmmaker known for incorporating the latest in technology and this time it’s de-aging as a visual effect, basically turning 68-year-old Hanks into what he looked like while filming “Splash.” It's a lot of work, clumsy often, and Zemeckis has gotten lost in the uncanny valley, trying to tell a very human story about what unites us but by altering the actors so much that the human connection is lost. Look closely and you'll see cigarette smoke go into one character, but never come out.
Other roles include Richard's parents — played brilliantly by Paul Bettany and Kelly Reilly — and some unconnected people: a fun-loving couple living in the home from 1925 to 1944, and a less fun couple in the early 1900s. There's an Indigenous couple in the 1600s who frolic in the space the living room will take over in 300 years and another family who rides out 2020 in the house amid the pandemic.
If that isn’t enough, we have an appearance by Benjamin Franklin. Why Benjamin Franklin? He's connected to the house across the street. What he adds is not entirely clear. The movie could do with fewer Founding Fathers and cutesy touches like hummingbirds.
We watch the living room as a TV is added — the Beatles' performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” leads to “CHiPs” — and the vehicles outside go from horse to Model Ts to sedans. The home goes from $3,400 just after World War II to $1 million today and the fashions go from Victorian heeled boots to teased hair and American flag shirts.
“Here” — based on the graphic novel by Richard McGuire — is best when events at different times are linked — like when a roof starts leaking in one era only to dissolve into a pregnant woman's water breaking in another. Or when there's mention of influenza in 1918 and we later see the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
One theme that is touched on but could have been strengthened is the impact of downsizing and economic disruptions on psyches, with Richard's father in full Willy Loman mode one day, sobbing after being laid off: “They shrunk me.” Deferred dreams are another, but there's not enough time for that if you've got silly visits by Benjamin Franklin. And while it's inclusive to embrace Native Americans, the scenes add little to the narrative.
“Here” fails to connect all these centuries of human experiences, other than to celebrate the human experience in all its messiness, triumph and sadness. In fact, if these walls could talk, most of the characters are happiest away from this living room. Maybe the strongest theme is uttered by one character lamenting: “Time just went.”
Zemeckis nicely apes the graphic novel's use of squares within the frame that show a peek at what's going on in different eras — like little time travel devices — and kudos to Jesse Goldsmith for fantastic editing work.
But one visual trick sums up the movie: It’s supposed to be the story of a real wood-and-brick house, but it was filmed at Sony’s studio complex in Culver City, California. The main character is fake. “Here” is nowhere.
“Here,” a Sony Pictures release that premieres Friday in theaters, is rated PG-13 for “thematic material, some suggestive material, brief strong language and smoking.” Running time: 105 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, left, with actors Tom Hanks, center, and Robin Wright on the set of "Here." (Sony Pictures via AP)
This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, left, with actors Robin Wright, center, and Tom Hanks on the set of "Here." (Sony Pictures via AP)
This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows Tom Hanks, left, and Robin Wright in a scene from "Here." (Sony Pictures via AP)
Tom Hanks, left, and Robin Wright arrive at the AFI Fest premiere of "Here" on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows Tom Hanks, left, and Robin Wright in a scene from "Here." (Sony Pictures via AP)
Tom Hanks, left, and Robin Wright arrive at the AFI Fest premiere of "Here" on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows Tom Hanks, right, and Robin Wright in a scene from "Here." (Sony Pictures via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Snoop Dogg arrived at Intuit Dome hours before tipoff, long before most fans filled the arena and even before some players.
Dressed in a gray suit and black turtleneck, a diamond-encrusted Peacock pendant resting on his chest and purple Chuck Taylor sneakers with gold laces nodding to his lifelong Los Angeles Lakers allegiance, Snoop didn’t rush. He didn’t posture. He waited for his moment to shine as an NBA analyst alongside Reggie Miller and Terry Gannon for Peacock’s recent Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers broadcast during the second half.
With an AP reporter trailing him through the arena for an all-access, behind-the-scenes look at his preparation — including time in the green room ahead of the broadcast — Snoop made it clear that this wasn't a cameo.
“I don’t believe NBC would have gave me this opportunity if they thought I was coming in there playing games,” said Snoop, who won over global audiences during the Paris Olympics in 2024. “It's not so much about me. It's so much about what the game is needing right now.”
In recent months, Snoop underscored his ease in live, unscripted settings across major TV stages. He continued his work on NBC’s “The Voice,” performed during Netflix's Christmas Day NFL broadcast, went viral at the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl and presented and did interviews at Sunday's Golden Globes — where Amy Poehler and Stephen Graham praised his presence. That visibility has coincided with a deepening relationship with NBCUniversal, which continues to expand his role across sports and entertainment with next month's Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, including NBA coverage.
Before opening tip of the Jan. 5 game, Snoop sat in production meetings and joined the coaches' meetings with Steve Kerr and Tyronn Lue. He lingered near the Golden State Warriors’ locker room, occasionally dancing as his own music blared from inside, patiently waiting to interview Warriors star guard Stephen Curry a couple hours before the game.
Snoop’s approach resonated with the players he covered.
“He can find his way anywhere in any environment,” Curry said. “It was cool to see all the different versions of Snoop.”
Curry has seen Snoop's ability to move comfortably between worlds long before this night. The sharpshooting guard recalled seeing Snoop around Team USA during the Paris Olympics, where he blended seamlessly into the basketball environment while connecting easily with players away from the court.
“He caught me off guard at the beginning because he gave me three really straightforward basketball questions,” Curry said of Snoop’s Warriors-Clippers pregame interview. “Then I heard he got to it on the broadcast. … He was a great addition.”
Whether Snoop is on a global broadcast, major streamer or a sideline, he reads the room in real time. That feel showed up again at the Arizona Bowl, when he snagged a deep kickoff mid-interview, losing a shoe but securing the ball. It was a spontaneous moment that quickly went viral and showed why he continues to resonate in live settings.
Moments like that help explain why Snoop's presence keeps widening. He's set to be part of NBC’s coverage of the upcoming Winter Olympics, further extending a presence that now spans sports, entertainment and generations of viewers.
Miller, who played 18 years with the NBA's Indiana Pacers, said Snoop's versatility and seriousness stood out even behind the camera.
“He’s authentic,” Miller said. “Questions that he asked in the coaches meetings, stepping up and asking informed questions of Steve Kerr and Ty Lue. He could have just sat back and listened. No, he's getting his hands dirty.”
Gannon echoed those sentiments.
“It's not like he's just showing up and saying ‘I’m here,'” he said. “He put in the work and effort. The broadcast was seamless because of that.”
Snoop said he studied legendary broadcasters, particularly the late Chick Hearn, who was the play-by-play announcer for more than 40 years with the Lakers. The rapper viewed his role as someone who understands basketball deeply but speaks from outside the traditional broadcast lineage.
“I represent the average Joe, despite being me being a well-known celebrity,” he said. “The NBA has moved forward to where it deserves to have people like me who understands the game, know the game and can speak to the game and also bring new viewers.”
Snoop's perspective showed up immediately once he went on air.
He called out the Warriors' Draymond Green for taking — and missing — too many 3-pointers, while praising his ability to function as a point-forward. He noted Curry’s ability to play through an ankle injury in the third quarter. He labeled on-court chemistry “cookies and cream like they about to open up a cookie shop,” dubbed Curry “Stephisticated” and punctuated a scoring burst with “two-piece chicken nuggets.”
When Warriors coach Steve Kerr was ejected after disagreeing with referees on a goaltending call, Snoop’s bold personality cut through the moment, shouting “Inglewood” as the crowd roared inside the Intuit Dome, which is located in Inglewood, California.
“When the lights are on, that's when I shine the brightest,” Snoop said.
Snoop said he'd welcome more opportunities to call NBA games, viewing the analyst role as a natural extension of a career built on curiosity and evolution. He's eager to immerse himself in the Winter Olympics, where he'll once again be an NBC correspondent and join Team USA as an honorary coach.
He'll serve as an ambassador and supporter for American athletes in the lead-up and throughout the Games. He's also hosting an event with Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard during NBA All-Star week next month.
“I feel like I'm progressing myself as a full-on entertainer,” Snoop said. “This is a part of entertainment, being able to pull people into things they may or may not be interested in. I would love to do more of this.”
Snoop is certainly living a dream with a simple through line: Show up, do the work and stay open to what comes next.
“When you master who you are,” he said. “you understand that you're not one dimensional. You evolve.”
Snoop Dogg, records a segment on the court before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
NBA analyst Snoop Dogg stands on the court before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Debuting as an NBA analyst, Snoop Dogg, right, records a segment with Terry Gannon before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Debuting as an NBA analyst, Snoop Dogg, records video on the court before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Debuting as an NBA analyst, Snoop Dogg, right, records a segment with Terry Gannon before an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
NBA analyst, Snoop Dogg, right, appears with Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, center, and former NBA player and lead game analyst for NBC Sports, Reggie Miller, following the team's NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
