“A Man Called Otto”

My favorite move is “A Man Called Otto” which is a 2022 American comedy-drama film
directed by Marc Forester, this filthen is remake of 2015 Swedish film “A Man Called Ove”,
which was based on the 2012 novel by Frederik Backman. A film was produced by Fredrik
Wikström Nicastro, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks. Character are:
Tom Hanks as Otto Anderson
Truman Hanks as young Otto Anderson
Mariana Treviño as Marisol
Rachel Keller as Sonya
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Tommy
Cameron Britton as Jimmy
Mack Bayda as Malcolm
Juanita Jennings as Anita
Emonie Ellison as young Anita
Peter Lawson Jones as Reuben
Portrayed by the beloved Tom Hanks in an indistinct performance that splits the difference
between quirky and grounded, Otto is often right about his grievances, to his credit. Why
should he pay for six feet of rope and waste a few extra cents, for instance, when he bought
just a little over five? Why shouldn’t he warn inconsiderate drivers who often block garage
doors or entitled neighbors who can’t as much as remember to close a gate and respect
basic rules about trash disposal? Or pick up a fuss when the soulless real estate guys from
the fictional and hilariously named “Dye & Merica” show up to sabotage the community’s
peace?
Then again, not everything is as awful as Otto makes them out to be. And he could perhaps
afford to have some manners himself, especially when a new, very pregnant neighbor drops
by with a bowl of home-cooked meal as a courtesy.
As was the case in “Ove,” Otto can’t wait to join his wife on the other side, but his frequent
suicide attempts get interrupted in episodes that are sometimes awkwardly funny, and other
times, just plain awkward. The chief interrupters of our get-off-my-lawn guy are the
abovementioned new neighbors: the happily married-with-kids couple Marisol (a bubbly and
scene-stealing Mariana Treviño, the absolute best thing about the film) and Tommy (Manuel
Garcia-Ruflo), who often ask little favors from the grumpy Otto. There are also others in the
neighborhood, like a kindly transgender teenager Malcolm (Mack Bayda) thrown out of his
house by his dad, the fitness-obsessed Jimmy (Cameron Britton), Otto’s old friend Rueben
(Peter Lawson Jones), and his wife Anita (Juanita Jennings), who are no longer on cordial
terms with Otto. And let’s not forget a stray cat that no one seems to know what to do with
for a while.
The mystery is that none of the supporting personalities in this story can take a hint about
Otto, at least not well into the film’s second act. Instead, all the characters collectively treat
Otto with patience and acceptance, as if he isn’t being willfully rude to them every chance he
gets. For example, it’s anyone’s guess why Otto’s work colleagues bother to throw him a
retirement party when it will surely go unappreciated or why Marisol continuously insists on
trying to bring out the good side of him when Otto offensively shuts down every one of her
genuine attempts.
Still, the story manages to land some charms when Otto finally lets his guard down and starts
making all the expected amends, while suffering a rare heart condition on the side. First, he
becomes a local hero when he unwittingly saves someone’s life in front of a group of
unhelpful people too preoccupied with their phones. Later on, he racks up additional
goodwill when he takes Malcolm in and builds a slow yet steady friendship with Marisol, a
rewarding storyline in an otherwise predictable tale.
But the biggest win of Forster’s adaptation is its worthwhile message about the small wins of
everyday people who operate as a functioning and harmonious community against the evils
of faceless corporations. “A Man Called Otto” isn’t exactly as philosophical as “About
Schmidt” or as socially conscious as “I, Daniel Blake,” two films that occasionally hit similar
notes. But it’s nevertheless a wholesome crowd-pleaser for your next family gathering.