‘The Man from Toronto’

“The Man from Toronto”
PG-13 | 110 minutes
Director: Patrick Hughes
Stars: Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, Jasmine Mathews

“The Man from Toronto,” starring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson, is another example of how COVID-19 is still making ripples through the movie industry. It was originally slated for a theatrical release by Sony in November 2020, then faced pandemic production delays, then was acquired by Netflix and pushed again.

But, the unceremonious streaming dump makes sense. The movie is brawn and bustling action with no bruise — no staying power. It’s the film version of contactless boxing, one of protagonist Teddy Jackson’s many absurd business plans that gets him fired from his local gym in one of the film’s early scenes.

Teddy is a scrappy, hapless hustler. A failed fitness influencer and entrepreneur (three comments on one video, we’re told) who struggles to be present for his wife Lori (Jasmine Mathews). He’s the type of guy who forgets to list an address and phone number on flyers for his gym. 

Woody Harrelson’s Man from Toronto (“Toronto Man”) is a knife-wielding cowboy assassin who sounds exactly like Woody Harrelson — as in, not at all Canadian. Fortunately, Harrelson is charming enough and seemingly having a good time. Not taking himself too seriously is the film’s most redeeming quality. His hitman with a heart of gold (who clams up around women) shtick occasionally leavens the dull, meaningless plot.

That plot is dumb, which wouldn’t be a huge problem if this movie were fun. But the conflict of the film hinges on printing off directions. Teddy is smart enough to put together business plans, edit and upload videos to YouTube, and book an Airbnb, but not smart enough to open his reservation’s confirmation email? Thus, he misreads the address on a poor printout and accidentally intercepts Toronto Man’s next hit. Even with the delayed release, this feels like a 2005 plot point. 

Determined to show his wife a good time despite all his career setbacks, he books a nice weekend vacation, but his inattention to detail leads him to the wrong house, where Toronto Man is expected for a spot of torture and killing. Teddy gets mistakenly identified by other major players as the Man From Toronto, and under movie comedy rules, the U.S. government insists he plays along until they get some crucial, world-saving information.

Hart sticks to his tried-and-trusted persona, cracking wise and becoming increasingly exasperated as events continue to spiral out of control. As a result, that leaves Harrelson to play the straight man, which isn’t the best use of his talents when history has regularly shown that the actor’s strengths in broad comedic fare are maximized when he’s allowed to lean into his offbeat charisma and twinkle-eyed charm. It also doesn’t help that the humor is too broad and scattershot to generate more than a snigger or a smirk.

Harrelson and Hart’s buddy routine works less well here than, say, Hart and The Rock’s in 2016’s “Central Intelligence.” Its moments of comedic tension fizzle out quickly.

There are a few subplots strewn throughout “The Man from Toronto,” including Lori being cared for by a hunky FBI handler while her husband is away on world-saving business (much to insecure Teddy’s chagrin), and Lori’s friend Anne (Kaley Cuoco) having the instantaneous hots for Toronto Man. It’s difficult to imagine why Cuoco accepted a thankless supporting part after her award-nominated performance in HBO’s “The Flight Attendant.” 

Ellen Barkin appears sporadically as Toronto’s mysterious and dastardly handler, and Toronto and Teddy are forced to contend with a rival assassin — Pierson Fode’s The Man from Miami — while simultaneously developing a bond that benefits them both. Still, although those things happen, they’re not of any consequence, leaving the impression that the film will be best suited for sleepy Sunday afternoon viewings when one can doze through portions of the proceedings and not miss a thing.

Like the Toronto Man passing through town, this movie might play well on Netflix for a while, but then it’ll simply vanish into the ether, never to be seen or heard from again. ♦