Rating: 8.4
Premise: Otto is a grump who's given up on life following the loss of his wife and wants to end it all. When a young family moves in nearby, he meets his match in quick-witted Marisol, leading to a friendship that will turn his world around.
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Sony - Columbia Pictures
Directed by Marc Forster
Screenplay by David Magee
Based on the novel “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman & the film “A Man Called Ove” by Hannes Holm
Cast: Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Truman Hanks
Runtime: 2hr 6min
Rating: PG
Comedy, Drama
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IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%
RT Audience Score: 97%
RT Critic Average: 6.1/10
RT Audience Average: 4.7/5
Metacritic Score: 51
Letterboxd: 3.6/5
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My Review:
Cue the AMC Theatres Nicole Kidman ad… “Heartbreak feels good in a place like this”. “A Man Called Otto” was very much not the movie I was expecting it to be, and I was very pleasantly surprised by that. Completely heartbroken and emotional — but pleasantly surprised. I was not prepared for this movie. I thought I was getting into a fairly generic movie about an old grumpy man who comes to see the beauty in living life, which indeed it is, but I had no clue that it was going to be as much of an emotional rollercoaster as it was. It managed to be so funny, and heartwarming as it navigated heartbreak, loss and finding meaning in living. There’s lots of comedy throughout that made me smile, but the movie knows when to be serious, and hits all the emotional beats perfectly. It doesn’t shy away from going to very dark places thematically, but it is very necessary and allows you to come to understand Otto as a person; his pain and his outlook for his life. I can’t say it’s an easy watch, as most of the movie was spent in tears, but it is a very good movie. The film may not be anything revolutionary; it very much does follow a tried and true formula. But trust me, just go in and check your cynicism at the door and let the film tug at your heartstrings. I cannot stress enough how surprisingly moving this film is.
Tom Hanks turns in yet another great performance (big surprise, I know!), despite this being a rather different role than we normally see him in as he is playing this grumpy, cynical and ultimately depressed character. Otto could have very easily come off as unlikeable, as hateful, as a bigot, but luckily the filmmakers and Hanks himself were very careful about how they portrayed Otto. You can see he is just very annoyed with everyone, but this comes from some deep emotional pain inside of him. Otto does not enjoy life anymore, but this movie explores ways that he can still enjoy life and find a reason to live. The true star of the movie for me was the one who shows Otto the brighter side of life: Marisol, played by Mariana Treviño. She brought so much exuberant warmth and energy to the film, and it stole my heart!
The movie tells a very human and honest story that I connected with on a deep emotional level. I cried lots, and laughed lots; it’s a very emotional film with lots of bittersweet and heartbreaking moments. The movie really makes you take a step back and appreciate your life for what it is, especially your loved ones and all the other important people in your life. This movie will make you hold them even closer and appreciate the time you get with them even more! I haven’t seen the Swedish film this is based on, so I can’t really comment on this as an adaptation, but what I can tell you is I completely fell for this movie. You’d have to be made of stone not to feel something here! It is just a purely good crowd pleasing (but emotional) movie.
And I have to say, I could’ve watched a whole movie that focused solely on the flashbacks… they were so heartwarming and sweet!
Fun Fact: The young Otto is played by Truman Hanks, Tom's real life son, who was 26 years old during principal photography.
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