A Man Called Otto

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A Man Called Otto is a remake of the 2015 Swedish film A Man Called Ove, based on the Swedish novel of the same name. Tom Hanks plays Otto, an ill-tempered widower who mourns the loss of his wife and wishes to join her on the other side. His plans are interrupted by the arrival of new neighbors, who forcibly befriend him and offer him a reason to continue living.

What follows is The Good, The Bad, and The Spoilers of A Man Called Otto.

The Good

Tom Hanks always does an amazing job when given a role, so it is no surprise that I loved him in this movie. However, in my opinion, the real shining star of A Man Called Otto was Mariana Treviño, who played Marisol. The energy and abrasiveness she brought to the character contrasted so well to Hank’s character that when they were on screen together, you couldn’t help but smile. Another great casting decision in this movie was choosing to use Tom Hank’s own son, Truman Hanks, to play Otto in the flashback scenes.

The pacing of this movie is really well done and this is because of how it takes audiences through emotional ups and downs. We go from laughing at Otto’s grumpy behavior one moment, to depressed by Otto’s desire to kill himself, then relieved when his plans get interrupted, back to laughing. Although this process does repeats throughout the film about 3 times, it does not feel repetitive.

The Bad

A Man Called Otto is a redemption story for Otto as he realizes he has reasons to live. The main part of this film that left me wanting more was the resolution. Other than some photos on the wall in the background, we don’t get to see how Otto lived his life after his redemption. Otto helps his neighbors, decides to keep living, time jump, and credit. The end of the movie felt like an afterthought.

My Overall Opinion

I give A Man Called Otto a solid 7 out of 10.

A Man Called Otto is both depressing and heartwarming. This movie is made to pull on your emotions while making you laugh along the way. Hanks and Treviño have a great on-screen chemistry which is reason enough to give this movie a watch. I enjoyed it and would recommend that you take the time to see it, but some parts of the movie are quite depressing you may want to avoid this one on a romantic date night.

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