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.
Tom Hanks is that rare actor who can embody any character he plays. From a gay man dying of AIDS in “Philadelphia” to the slow-witted but kindhearted “Forrest Gump” to U.S. Army Ranger Captain John Miller in “Saving Private Ryan,” the man must have it in his contract that throughout his career, he is to take on as many diverse characters as humanly possible. Even in some of his less well-received movies, “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” “The Circle,” and “A Hologram for the King,” he still manages to be watchable.
“A Man Called Otto” is based on the 2012 novel ‘A Man Called Ove,’ adapted into a Swedish film of the same name in 2015. Hanks plays Otto Anderson, a grumpy 60-year-old widower whose wife Sonya recently passed away. As the self-proclaimed chairman of the neighborhood HOA, he spends every morning roaming his street to ensure his neighbors follow the HOA guidelines. He is friendly to nobody and is known in the community as a sourpuss who constantly grumbles, with nothing to his liking.
When a young Mexican family, Marisol and Tommy (Mariana Treviño and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and their two young daughters move in across the street, they turn Otto’s life upside down with their friendliness and good intentions. On the outside, Otto comes across as a grouch, but internally, losing his wife causes him daily heartbreak. As a result, he tries to kill himself, only to have Marisol interrupt him every single time, much to his annoyance.
Capable of seeing past Otto’s gruff exterior, Marisol slowly works her way into his life, pulling him out of his shell until he finally tells her about Sonya. Realizing he is lonely and afraid of living life without her, Marisol quietly integrates him into her family. Initially lacking the ability to open his heart to people other than his late wife, Marisol gently coaxes him to interact with her children and husband, thereby welcoming him into her family, and for the first time since Sonya’s passing, making him feel a part of something bigger than himself.
Tom Hanks can invoke a myriad of emotions, depending on the character he’s playing. Who didn’t cry during “Forrest Gump” or “The Green Mile?” Who didn’t laugh during “Big” or “The ‘Burbs?” Who didn’t enjoy Hanks’s serious portrayal as Captain John H. Miller in Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” or mob enforcer Michael Sullivan, Sr. in Sam Mendes’ “Road to Perdition?” The man is not afraid to take on any role and plays every part with conviction and unmitigated confidence, a reflection of over forty years of perfecting his craft.
Here, while the whole world sees his Otto as a grumpy old man, he never views himself as such. He gets up at the same time every morning and ensures all of his neighbors abide by the HOA rules; if they do not, he will be the first to bring it to their attention. When Marisol finally confronts him and his cantankerous disposition, she doesn’t allow him to walk away from her as he has previously done; she makes him listen to her words. He realizes he has been angry since Sonya’s passing and has taken out all of his frustrations and anger on everyone around him instead of trying to deal with them.
This realization is the very heart of the movie. For someone who has been angry for so long, it is not easy to admit or overcome, but Hanks pulls it off convincingly, not just because the script says so, but because he needs some tough love, someone to stand up to him when everybody else wants to avoid him at all costs. Marisol is not blind to Otto’s self-imposed solitude, so she approaches him respectfully and compassionately but can also be no-nonsense when need be. Watching Otto slowly come out of his grumpy shell and interact with Marisol and her family, particularly her kids, is as heartwarming as you can get, and this cold holiday season, it is especially welcomed.
If you’ve seen the trailer for “A Man Called Otto,” you know exactly what to expect, but watching Hanks at the top of his game is what going to the movies is all about. The script may be formulaic and methodical, but the performances, specifically Hanks, are anything but. Director Marc Forster infuses the film with plenty of heartfelt scenes but also some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments. I never saw the original 2015 Swedish film, and I’m glad I didn’t because even though I knew where the story was headed, watching it unfold blindly was thoroughly enjoyable.
Now available on Digital HD, and on Blu-ray™ and DVD March 14th
