“A Man Called Otto” Review
Tom Hanks stars in “A Man Called Otto” as the titular grump that finds the joy in living through the people and the animals around him.
When I first saw the trailers for “A Man Called Otto,” I think I had the exact opposite reaction of every American. When most people looked at the trailer, I’m sure they became excited for a new Tom Hanks film where he finds the joy in living. However, I am not like most people. I’m not a soulless bastard who hates joyful movies, I’m worse. You see, the film is actually a remake of “A Man Called Ove,” a 2015 Swedish film based on Fredrik Backman’s 2012 novel of the same name and I’ve experienced both of them. So, I was expecting this American version to sanitize the harsher moments of the book and water down a truly powerful story of compassion. This is why I was so delightfully surprised by just how good “A Man Called Otto” really was. Not only is it faithful to the tone of the original source material, but it’s sure to take you through all the highs and lows of life and make you feel so glad to be alive.
In a quaint Pittsburgh suburb lives Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), who’s become the biggest grump ever since his wife Sonya died of cancer and he’s been forced into retirement by his company. Since Otto’s so angry with the world and has no reason to live anymore, he decides to kill himself multiple times and keeps failing. When a new family moves in across the street, Otto thinks that they’ll just be another nuisance. However, when the matriarch of the family Marisol (Mariana Treviño) keeps being nice to Otto, despite his grouchy demeanor, he begins to think that he might have a reason for living.
As you can clearly tell by the synopsis of the film, it is going to head to some dark places and what struck me so much about this adaptation was how even-handed it all was. Let’s be honest with ourselves, most American film studios would love to try and shy away from the harsher realities and instead focus more on Otto babysitting Marisol’s kids or getting into trouble with a clown.
However, director Marc Forster and screenwriter David Magee showed the utmost respect for the original story and understood the purpose of the films’ dark moments: to make you appreciate the warmth Otto is going to let into his life. I knew I was in safe hands when I saw that, in the credits, they said that this film is based on “En man som heter Ove,” using the original Swedish title. That little detail made me understand that the filmmakers were aware of the original story’s weight. Hell, Magee’s adaptation of the story is so good that it made me forgive him for writing “Mary Poppins Returns.”
At the heart of this film is Tom Hanks who, like always, gives all of himself to the role and is fantastic. In every role he takes on, Tom Hanks has to beat incredible odds. He’s one of those actors whose face and voice are so recognizable that he always runs the risk of not being immersed in the performance to where the audience doesn’t see the character, they see the actors. But, like always, Hanks beats the odds as Otto and plays this role so well. In the film, Otto is clearly frustrated with the world around him but doesn’t point fingers or blame anyone specific. He’s not an Archie Bunker or Walt Kowalski type of character, more like Carl Fredrickson from “Up.” He hates everyone equally and just wants to be left alone in his remaining days.
When Otto does have his suicide attempts, this is where the storytelling is really pushed. You see, in the book and the original film, there’s a bit of dark comedy infused in Ove’s endeavors to kill himself but it’s in a very specific way. The attempts are treated seriously but there is some comedy in the build up like when he argues with a store clerk about the price of the rope he’s going to try to hang himself with.
Otto’s persona as a curmudgeon meets its match in Marisol (Mariana Treviño), who’s so sweet but no-nonsense that it throws Otto off of his game.
The film also has quite a few flashbacks to Otto’s life where he meets Sonya (Rachel Keller) as a young man (Truman Hanks) and they share a life together. These glimpses into Otto’s past are well handled because you see them only when he’s trying to kill himself. It’s as if his life is flashing before his eyes and he’s reliving these events. In fact, one choice I thought was brilliant was having Otto as an old man repeating lines that his younger counterpart and his wife said to each other, as if he’s interacting with them. Through these flashbacks, you gain an understanding just how important Sonya was to Otto and you begin to feel his sense of loss and understand why he wouldn’t want to go on living anymore. You don’t condone it, but you understand.
Based on what I’ve written so far, this film sounds like it’s the most depressing film of the year when it simply isn’t. The film is about a man finding joy again and the story needs to go to some dark places in order to make you appreciate just how magical life can be. Removing these elements would be like eliminating the alternate reality of “It’s a Wonderful Life” (another delightful film about suicide) or not having the titular alien die in “E.T.: The Extraterrestrial” or getting rid of most of the runtime of “An American Tail.” These dark moments need to occur and you’ll probably cry but they’re precisely balanced with the uplifting, sentimental scenes and feel truly earned.
When Otto meets Marisol and her family, he’s the usual kind of grouchy towards them. However, the difference between Marisol and Otto’s other neighbors is that she doesn't take any of his guff. Instead, she dishes it back to him but in such a sweet way that he can’t be angry with. However, Marisol, her daughters Abbie and Luna (Alessandra Perez and Chrisitana Montoya) and even her “nitwit husband” Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) all work their way into Otto’s heart and inspire him to live again. It’s not a matter of if it will happen, it’s when.
Alongside Marisol and her family are a supporting cast of neighbors that are so delightful and memorable no matter how long their screen time. There’s a delightful airhead named Jimmy (Cameron Britton), who remembers when Otto wasn’t so mean and still has a soft spot for him, as well as Malcolm (Mack Bayda), a trans man who has a connection with Otto that is so heartwarming that I don’t dare spoil it. I also found that Otto’s connection with Anita and Rueben (Juanita Jennings and Peter Lawson Jones), who used to be friends with Otto until a rift formed between them, had me so invested. I then realized that I care about every single one of these people, even the woman with the yappy dog.
Overall, what this film preaches is compassion and I think it does so very well. I was expecting this American adaptation to really dumb down the story and maybe that’s what some audiences want. Maybe they want a story that doesn’t take you to the dark places. However, I think the vast majority of filmgoers will fall in love with this film. I also hope that it inspires more people to check out the original book and especially the 2015 film adaptation. I know that’s not incredibly likely since Americans have a big problem with reading subtitles and foreign languages but you never know. On its own, “A Man Called Otto” is a wonderful film that will make you laugh, cry and feel glad. As an adaptation of a great story, it definitely earns the right to be connected to the book. Plus, it might lead to more people spelling my last name right.
