Finch (2021).
A dying inventor crosses a scorched America with his dog and a newly built robot he is hurriedly teaching to care for the dog after he is gone.
Genre: Post-apocalyptic science fiction, Drama, Adventure · The AI: Jeff — learning humanoid robot built as a caretaker; Dewey — small utility robot
Official trailer
Official trailer via Apple TV (YouTube), verified 14 Oct 2026.
Where to watch
Check streaming availability on JustWatch →
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Our review
Essentially a gentle road movie about delegation: what do you teach a successor when you cannot stay? Tom Hanks plays the teacher with tired warmth, and Jeff's questions — literal, awkward, slowly deepening — make the film's AI idea land. It nails apprenticeship as alignment: rules alone fail Jeff, stories and examples work better. The wasteland plot is familiar and the sentiment is unashamed, but families and robot-story lovers will be quietly wrecked by it.
Entertainment 7/10 — Warm, handsome and predictable; Hanks carries it.
AI Realism 6/10 — Learning by instruction, imitation and correction is credible in outline; Jeff's general competence arrives implausibly fast.
The AI, explained
Finch is alignment as apprenticeship: rules alone fail Jeff; stories, examples and correction work. The real task isn't transferring facts but priorities — judgement about what matters — taught by a man who is running out of time to teach it.
Themes: Care & family · Embodiment · Alignment & control
Concepts in the glossary: Training