In A Man Called Otto, the audience sees Tom Hanks playing against type. Instead of playing a lovable dad as America has come to know him, we see Tom Hanks playing a grumpy old man — a real “get off my lawn” kind of guy. In this film, we see Tom Hanks have a commendable performance in an otherwise okay movie, committing to the role and turning an otherwise forgettable film into a pleasant surprise. 

A Man Called Otto is an American remake of the 2015 Academy Award-nominated A Man Called Ove (Best International Feature Film and Best Make-Up and Hairstyling). This was in turn an adaptation of the 2012 Swedish book of the same name. In this, we see Tom Hanks as Otto Anderson, a 60-something year old widower who is depressed after the death of his wife prior to the film. His neighbors Marisol (Mariana Treviño) and her husband Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) move in across the street with their two children and unknowingly interrupt his numerous attempts to end his life. The premise of the film is a darker one than the trailers lead one to believe. Though still fairly lighthearted in nature, the film still deals with grief, loss, and moving on after losing a loved one. And even though the serious topics don’t always mesh well tonally with the funnier aspects of the film, the discussions of these serious topics were dealt with respectfully. 

A Man Called Otto was a surprise and a heartwarming tearjerker that most casual filmgoers are destined to enjoy. Tom Hanks gives a solid performance, turning an unlikeable old man who shuts out everyone in his life to a sweet, stubborn, yet kind old man who clearly cares about those around him. Mariana Treviño gives a terrific performance as a character who tries so hard to connect to Otto. She's energetic, warm, and a little loud, but her character has so much love to give to those around her. Their dynamic is what makes the film work, with Otto being hesitant to let anyone in and Marisol trying hard to truly befriend him. 

Within this film’s flashbacks, the audience meets Hanks’s son (both on screen and off) Truman Hanks. He comes off as far less experienced on screen than both his father and his screen partner Rachel Keller, who plays a young Sonya. His line delivery never felt authentic but in fact rather stilted. However, Keller felt significantly more genuine thanks to her natural delivery. While the flashbacks in general mostly work, they can seem awkwardly inserted into the film and tonally different from the rest of the movie. The yellow color grading of the film that symbolized the past felt similarly jarring, as it tended to look corny and out of place.

The tone of the film is similar to a struggling juggling act. It is clearly difficult for the writers to handle both the comedic areas and the dramatic ones. While each one works by itself, these two tones don’t always congeal together seamlessly. Despite this, though, A Man Called Otto has a fairly basic story. Once you start watching, you can mostly predict where the narrative goes. But however formulaic the script is, the shining light is the way the actors play off each other. Their dynamic is what stops the film from being just another dull American remake. Each actor is believable (save for the aforementioned Truman Hanks performance) and their characters are well-developed throughout the course of the story. 

This story of love, loss and grief is also one of community, family, and love. Though it suffers from tonal issues and isn’t terribly original, the messages of the story are never lost. This is largely thanks to great performances from Hanks and Treviño, without whom the film would not have worked. Even though this film does not aim to reinvent the wheel, its saccharine nature and heartfelt story ought to win most people over.

7/10