The Man from Toronto

Regardless of their city of origin, the characters in The Man from Toronto feel like variations on those we’ve seen in many other action comedies.

Despite spirited performances by its bickering adversaries, this slick and stylish thriller doesn’t provide much incentive for emotional investment between the elaborate set pieces.

The odd-couple dynamic driving the story stems from the convergence of two characters who couldn’t be more different. Teddy (Kevin Hart) is a motormouthed, fledgling entrepreneur who wants to impress his wife (Jasmine Matthews) with a weekend getaway capped by a fancy birthday feast.

The title character, Randy (Woody Harrelson), is part of an expansive network of ruthless hitmen identified by their hometowns, oozing intimidation with his voice and posture. Yet deep down, he must have a heart of gold, right?

They meet after Teddy knocks at the door of the wrong rental house — where Randy was supposed to show up instead to put his typically brutal polish on a random thug. However, following very little due diligence, Teddy is mistaken for the assassin.

By the time Randy catches up and forces Teddy to come clean, the mayhem has escalated. Teddy becomes a sidekick of sorts on his next mission, much to Randy’s chagrin. Of course, they reluctantly find common ground to team up against a mutual unforeseen threat — so Teddy can return home for dinner.

The contrived screenplay requires significant suspension of disbelief that most moviegoers are unlikely to extend as Teddy’s impulsive good intentions trigger a chaotic whirlwind around him.

Hart generates mild sympathy for his lovable loser as he and Harrelson trade barbs, but none of the other characters is given much depth or complexity. The plot revolves around generic sociopolitical intrigue with vaguely nondescript villains, yielding only sporadic excitement.

As directed by Patrick Hughes (The Hitman’s Bodyguard), the film struggles to find a tonal balance while mixing elements of broad mistaken-identity farce with intense cat-and-mouse action.

The Man from Toronto works best when the jokes are flying, thanks mostly to Hart’s charisma, but stumbles when it transitions into a straightforward potboiler — really more of an adrenaline-fueled cinematic travelogue — in which the conflict is poorly outlined and the stakes aren’t sufficiently elevated.

Rated PG-13, 110 minutes.