Palmer (2021) review

Having spent twelve years in prison, Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake) returns home to live with his grandmother Vivian (June Squibb) and finds himself acting as surrogate father for his neighbor Sam (Ryder Allen), who gets picked on for wearing make-up and identifying as a girl.  It's actually impressive how there isn't a single original thought in this entire movie (which wastes a pretty good performance by JT): you just know that the grandma's going to pass away, that Eddie would have to confront his past, stop the boy from being bullied, go back to jail, etcetera.  Also, I'm not a lawyer, but I find it hard to believe that someone who spent time for attempted murder - which, last I checked, is a felony - can not only work in an elementary school around little kids but end up adopting one as well.  Or maybe things are just a little bit more "free" in Louisiana ... where, last I checked, there were people incarcerated for life for crimes they did not commit.