“A MAN CALLED OTTO”
MOVIE REVIEW
A
Man Called Otto is a comedy-drama film directed by Marc Forster from a
screenplay by David Magee. It is the second film adaptation of the 2012 novel A
Man Called Ove by Friedrich Backman and a remake of the 2015 Swedish film of
the same name written and directed by Hannes Holm. Tom Hanks stars alongside
Mariana Trevino, Rachel Keller, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.
Otto
is a grumpy old man living in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Otto is a
stickler for rules and routines and takes pride in maintaining order and
cleanliness in his community. He is struggling to recover from the death of his
wife Sonya, the love of his life. His grief over her death drives him to commit
suicide by various means without success. Despite his stern exterior, Otto is a
kind and compassionate man who is often misunderstood by those around him. He
often quarrels with his eccentric neighbors, which include a young family, a
noisy cat, and a pregnant woman and her husband.
One
day, Otto's world is turned upside down when a new family moves in across the
street. The family consists of an energetic young woman, her husband, and their
two daughters. Although initially resistant, Otto is drawn to her and her
family, and he begins to open up and embrace the joys of life and relationships
with others. As Otto's relationships with his neighbors deepen, he becomes more
involved in their lives and helps them with their various challenges. Otto
helps the family fix up their house, and takes the cat with him.
Despite
his own struggles and setbacks, Otto finds solace and purpose in helping others
and rediscovering the love of his life. Ultimately, Otto learns to let go of
his sadness and embrace the joys of living in the present moment. He discovers
that there is more to life and realizes the value of making friends and being
loved. After coming to terms with his past and the deaths of his wife and
infant son, he eventually succumbs to the same heart disease that killed his
father.
Director
Marc Forster's wonderfully twee drama is bleak and pointless, mistaking
eccentric good looks for an overlong personality. Tom Hanks plays Otto, a
grieving widower. Forster and writer David Magee aim for a sophisticated and
upbeat tone, but the result is inadequate, creating a world that is completely
discordant.
Feeble
jokes and one-dimensional supporting characters add to the emptiness that
overwhelms The Man Called Otto, which is then exacerbated by low-ambition
filmmaking at every turn. We rarely leave Otto's street, but Forster doesn't
use this small scale to create any kind of living atmosphere, the visuals and
music choices are bland and sad. Meanwhile, the flashbacks are done so
effortlessly that they border on self-parody, each new blurry transition from
present to memory is unintentionally ridiculous, and casting Hanks' youngest
son, Truman, as young Otto is a mistake, as it turns out. After working mostly
in the camera department in previous films, Hanks Jr. turns out to be a very
poor actor.
A film like A Man Called Otto needs to be honestly engaged to
have a chance to work, but here all of Forster's material, from the minor
children to Otto's adoption of the cat to an evil officer's "climax,"
comes off as a strange attempt at genuine emotion beyond the film.
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