MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Comedy Drama/ Stars: Tom Hanks, Truman Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Cameron Britton, Mack Bayda, Juanita Jennings, Emonie Ellison, Peter Lawson Jones, Laval Schley, Christiana Montoya, Alessandra Perez, Mike Birbiglia, Kelly Lamor Wilson, David Magee, John Higgins/Runtime: 126 minutes
I think it’s safe to say dear reader that in nearly any neighborhood in America there are a few constants that you might encounter. Such constants can include the young adult night owl who always gets home at 4 in the morning with the windows rolled down and the radio blaring just so he can get a whole two hours of sleep before catching the bus for school, the friendly yet absent minded neighbor who always asks to borrow something and then doesn’t get it back to you for a whole year, the neighbor who somehow knows everyone else’s business, the stray cat that turns people’s yards into a minefield, the fitness junkie who every morning greets you just before they go for a quick morning jog, and of course (my personal favorite) the grumpy older person who wants nothing to do with anyone else and who wishes that the darned kids in the neighborhood would stay off their darn lawn! Yet what if the reason that this person acted in this manner isn’t because they’re a class-A jerk, but because they are going through things that we have no way of knowing about and as a result have both lost sight of who they are as well as feel that the world is a place not worth investing any more time in? It is that possibility incidentally that is the core hook of 2022’s A Man Called Otto. A movie, besides being the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, that regales us with the tale of a internally deceased individual who is given an unexpected new lease on life through a set of situations that help him to reclaim the joy and happiness of being a part of the world even though that he had all but shut it out as of late due to being rocked by the loss of the person who he thought made life worth living. Yet, as the film teaches our main character our lives have more meaning and impact to them when we permit ourselves to form heartfelt bonds with others rather than just toil away in our own negative isolation. To be sure, there are some issues to be found with this slice of cinema. Even with those in mind though, I think it can most assuredly be said that A Man Called Otto is a simplistic yet heartfelt, passion-drive, and purpose-oriented slice of cinema dealing with rediscovering the will to live and making amends for yourself in the eyes of those around you to say nothing of yourself which is brought wonderfully to life by both skilled work behind the camera and a heartfelt and solid collection of performances in front of the camera led by Tom Hanks in a role that might be different from 99.8% of the ones he has played before, but which he still brings to life with the skill and conviction that we have come to expect from him time and time again.
The plot is as follows: An adaptation of a novel titled A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman, this American take on the story (having been previously adapted in Sweden in the long-ago year of 2015) moves it to the suburbs in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and swiftly introduces us to our hero who takes the height and form of, for lack of a better phrase, a 63-year-old man by the name of Otto Anderson. A man who, among other attributes, has at least two things worth knowing about him off first glance. Those are that not only did he tragically lose the love of his life, a woman named Sonya, six months prior to the start of our tale, but also that this must be the man who the creative minds behind the dictionary had firmly in mind when they put in the word “curmudgeon”. I say that because the man is so entrenched in both his bitterness and grumpiness towards the world overall to say nothing of having such a low tolerance for nonsense of any sort that it seems like the only thing that really brings any degree, however small, of happiness to Otto’s life is thinking that every single person who is unfortunate enough to cross his path is nothing more than a complete and utter idiot. Suffice it to say that it really does seem dear reader like this is a man who you might guess is at the end of his rope and to an extent you might be quite right about that. I say to an extent because as we soon learn Otto might wish more than anything to be done with life, but life most assuredly is not done with him. A belief that soon starts to form into a fact following the arrival of a new family to the neighborhood in the form of eternally positive and quick-witted mom Marisol who is expecting, goofy yet loving father Tommy, and their two daughters Luna and Abbie respectively. To say that this family unit makes quite the distinct first impression on Otto is a bit of an understatement. What is not an understatement though is that with their arrival also comes something else for our delightfully irascible grump. That being not only a chance for the world around Otto to really reassess everything they thought they knew about the man, but maybe just maybe an opportunity for Otto to also reassess how he himself views the world around him to say nothing of the people in it as well….
Now right off the bat, I will say that the work done behind the camera on this slice of cinema does prove to be more than capable in its attempts to bring this story to life. This starts with the work done at the helm by Marc Forester (as in the same guy who gave us 2013’s loose cinematic adaptation of World War Z and 007’s 2008 adventure Quantum of Solace, but also 2004’s brilliant Finding Neverland, 2006’s incredible Stranger Than Fiction, and 2018’s underrated Christopher Robin). Suffice it to say that Forester has always had a gift at bringing humanity, heart, or even relatability to either stories or individuals that might not have seemed like there was any to be found and that is most assuredly on full-display here. Indeed the character of Otto might not seem like someone who, at first, is someone we can relate to let alone in possession of even an ounce of heart for another human being. Yet as the film goes on, we see that slowly but surely Forester is able to peel back enough layers so that we can begin to see why Otto is the way he is and even empathize with him a bit. Along with that, this slice of cinema is in possession of really good work on the film’s script by David Magee (who previously worked with Forester on the aforementioned Finding Neverland). Indeed, Magee does a wonderful job at not only bringing the heart and soul very much present in the original source material, but also in ensuring that the story itself remains, remarkably, quite intact with the only changes seemingly being the location shift from a community in Sweden all the way to the suburbs of Pittsburgh and the switch of the ethnic background of the neighbors who make their way into Otto’s heart from Middle Eastern to Mexican respectively. We also see that the creative team behind the camera make the distinct choice to, unlike the book, not let the movie spend as much time in the past and instead only give us maybe 30 minutes of screentime that is set then. By doing so however, the creative team, in particular the top-flight cinematography department, is doing a wonderful job of giving us just enough to further establish Otto and show how good things were back then in order to help us maybe understand a bit more why he is this way in the here and now. Finally, it should also be noted that this slice of cinema is also the blessed recipient of a beautiful musical accompaniment by Thomas Newman that does a great job at being just as much in the way of heartwarming and looking to the future with a degree of optimism and hope as it is a tad tearjerking to say nothing of wistful for days tragically long gone and now in the past as much as our main character wishes that wasn’t the case.
Of course, the other big component to a slice of cinema working to the best of its respective ability comes in the form of the work done in front of the camera by its collection of players. In that regard, it should be said that this one area where this film most assuredly works quite well. This starts with Tom Hanks in the titular role and (to no surprise) he does a wonderful job with the part. To be sure, there are those who might be unsure of what to make of the fact that an actor like Tom Hanks with such an immense history of both playing likable characters to say nothing being quite the affable guy in real life would think to take on a role that might be better suited to someone like Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, Walter Matthau, or even Larry David (who I wouldn’t have been surprised if it turned out he was either call #2 or 3 on the casting list). Yet because Tom Hanks is definitely a more versatile actor than his nice guy image might suggest, he is able to give us a performance that yes is funny with particular regard to just how grumpy his behavior and his dialogue with the other characters tends to get, but it’s also heartwarming as well since as the movie goes on you really do see Otto start to soften and open up which thereby enables you and the other characters to learn more about him as a person rather than just the grumpy exterior he constantly shows off. As a result, we see that Hanks manages to take this character who easily could have been an archetype in the wrong hands and instead provides him with enough dimension and humanity for him to feel less like a character and more like someone we may have lived next door to at one point in time ourselves. Suffice it to say he might be an odd casting choice for some of you for this particular part, but I promise that if you give him the benefit of the doubt Tom Hanks will reward you with yet another fantastic performance to add to a collection of performances that, with maybe a couple of exceptions, have been nothing but that every time he’s been up at bat. As great as Hanks is in the titular role though, I think it can be said that he is matched beat for beat in this film by a delightful performance from Mariana Treviño in the role of Marisol. Indeed, not only does Treviño bring a wonderfully perky and upbeat edge to her character, but she also does a terrific job at playing this character who is very much aware that, despite his hardened exterior, Otto is a genuinely good person and is willing to do whatever it takes to help him see that to say nothing of constantly try to help him just get back out there and learn to love life again even if he would rather just put up his walls and hide away from the rest of the world. Suffice it to say that it is a truly heartwarming performance and one that I hope sees the gifted actress who provided it given further cinematic opportunities in the future. I also really love the work done here by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (2016’s The Magnificent Seven) as Marisol’s husband Tommy. Yes, his role is a bit one-note, but Rulfo still does a great job at playing this guy who can be a bit of a goof and screwup at times, but who also completely and utterly adores his kids and wife with all of his heart. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in such talented work done by such screen talents as Rachel Keller, Cameron Britton, Juanita Jennings, and even Tom Hanks’ son Truman in a pivotal role to name but a few it’s clear that there might be issues with this film, but the work done by this cast is most assuredly not one of them.
All in all is A Man Called Otto a perfect slice of cinema by any means? Honestly and sadly I would have say no in that regard, but then again I also am of the opinion that there are very few movies out there which can claim to be that in the first place and get away with it. With that in mind though do not think for a minute that automatically makes this slice of cinema one that is horrible by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, I think it is a lot safer to say that while it might have its share of issues sprinkled throughout, I really did enjoy this movie dear reader and yes there were moments where I did find myself holding back a fair amount of tears with particular regard to the final 10 minutes and the flashback sequences which hit home for reasons that I think are best kept to myself. At any rate dear reader, the work done behind the camera is certainly more than capable complete with wonderful work at the helm, a script that honors the source material both in written word as much as tone and heart even if there is a subplot involving a nefarious real estate agent that could have been cut out, and a well-done musical score from gifted composer Thomas Newman. As for the work done in front of the camera, it too proves to be equally as good as it’s counterparts behind the camera with Tom Hanks delivering a rather distinct yet wonderful performance and a supporting cast led by a potent turn from Mariana Treviño backing him up beautifully whilst also bringing their own characters vividly to life in the process as well. Suffice it to say therefore that it might not be on the same level as the original Swedish adaptation from 2015, but A Man Called Otto is still a heartwarming and emotional saga about not only relocating the will to live, but also having the strength to go back out into the world and be a human being again even after the person you thought made both of those things possible for you more than anyone else ever could is no longer around to do so. On a scale of 1-5 I give A Man Called Otto “2022” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
