A Man Called Otto – Movie Review
Director: Marc Forster
Writer: David Magee (Screenplay)
Writer: Fredrik Backman (Novel)
Cast
- Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Nighbourhood)
- Mariana Trevino (Overboard)
- Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (Widows)
- Christiana Montoya
- Alessandra Perez
Plot: 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.
Runtime: 2 Hours 6 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: A Man Called Otto starts as we meet grumpy resident Otto (Hanks). He lives in a closed-off residential area, having just taken retirement and grieving the loss of his wife. Otto is planning on killing himself until he gets distracted by a new neighbour’s family.
Marisol (Trevino) and Tommy (Garcia-Rulfo) and their children Luna and Abbie move in opposite Otto. Marisol’s infectious friendship refuses to accept the grump version of Otto, forcing him to look back on the best parts of his life and when he met his wife.
Verdict on A Man Called Otto
Characters
Otto is a grumpy depressed widow who lives on a residential street. He keeps the residents in order and doesn’t like people not following the rules. Otto has been pushed into early retirement and is planning on ending his life. He always reluctantly agrees to help the residents including the new neighbours. The new neighbours seem to connect to him in a different way. Otto spends most of his day looking back on his time with his wife, the moments that gave him the biggest moments of happiness.
Marisol is the wife and mother that moved in opposite Otto. She refused to accept he is just grumpy and tries to connect with him. Marisol and her husband Tommy turn to Otto for help in their lives. She becomes the first person who pushes to help Otto and bring out his sweet nature that always helped people.
In the supporting cast, we get to meet fellow residents who all have different reactions to Otto. They accept his grumpy nature as they know they have a man who can help them when they need help.
Performances
Tom Hanks is brilliant in the leading role, this could easily be his best performance in recent years. He is a funny grumpy figure, but you see every ounce of emotion and grief he has been going through in his life.
Mariana Trevino is outstanding as the new neighbour; she won’t let her character back down and brings an infectious personality. The whole cast in this movie is amazing and each performance makes an impact on the story.
Story
A Man Called Otto follows a depressed grumpy widow that never lets people into his life. However, he does help people who need it when they need it. Despite his plans to end his life, he ends up befriending the new neighbours and learning to use his skills for the best in life.
This story is brilliant, it manages to capture the tragic side of Otto’s life, as well as the humor the story brings to the table. The story shows us the unbelievable grief being felt as well as showing how life changes so fast. It holds back a lot of what makes Otto who he is, which benefits from the good nature actions he applies to his life.
This is a movie that will pull on the heartstrings and will send you on a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the film. It is a perfect reflection of how life can give you the best and worst bits of life.
Final Thoughts – A Man Called Otto is an outstanding movie that sends you through the emotions.