A Man Called Otto reviews

2022 - 12 - 29

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The New York Times"

'A Man Called Otto' Review: Tom Hanks Learns Life Lessons (The New York Times)

Going against nice-guy type (at first), the star plays a misanthrope who's pulled into caring for a neighboring family in need.

Later, a teenager initially upbraided by Otto tells him that Otto’s wife, who had been a schoolteacher, “was the only person who didn’t treat me like a freak, because I’m transgender.” As the television icon Marcia Brady once put it, “Oh my nose!” But “A Man Called Otto” is not only more bloated than the Swedish film, it’s more outré, in a way that’s hard to pin down. When the older Otto — Hanks reaches back to his excellent work in “Catch Me If You Can” to nail down the man’s overarching irritability — contemplates his happy marriage, his mind always goes back to its earliest times.

'A Man Called Otto' Review: Forrest Grump (The Wall Street Journal)

Tom Hanks plays a lonely, misanthropic old man in this schmaltzy Hollywood version of a Swedish film and novel.

And without even a warning from the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Hanks as a lonely and humorless widower who isn’t so much fighting depression as surrendering to it. Set in a condominium development in Pennsylvania in the winter, the remake of 2015’s Swedish film “A Man Called Ove” (which was based on a novel of the same name) casts Mr.

A Man Called Otto Review: Tom Hanks Shines in Sentimental but ... (MovieWeb)

Grumpy Otto (Tom Hanks) gets a new lease on life when Marisol (Mariana Treviño) and her family move in across the street.

The film has a political point and admittedly gets heavy-handed making its case. A Man Called Otto tackles suicide with a comedic touch. As Otto continually thinks of new ways to end his life, a ruthless realtor (Mike Birbiglia) hungrily eyes the cul-de-sac. A Man Called Otto is told in two timelines. A breath of fresh air blows into the cul-de-sac. His disgust peaking to the point of parallel parking for them. [A Man Called Otto](https://movieweb.com/movie/a-man-called-otto/) remakes the brilliant Swedish film and bestselling novel with a distinctly American flavor. Her yummy Spanish food is of course better than Otto's bland meat and potatoes diet. Otto's livid to find plastic in the trash bin. Otto's job working with millennial and Gen Z morons was the only thing keeping his mind busy. [Tom Hanks](https://movieweb.com/person/tom-hanks/) shines in a sentimental story that treads sappy, but wins you over by the end. Otto spends each day making sure everyone in his townhome, cul-de-sac community abides by the rules.

A Man Called Otto Review: Tom Hanks' Familiar Remake of Hit ... (Below the Line)

A film about a grouchy neighbor's arc of redemption, it feels particularly unoriginal in light of the roles that Hanks has played, and ultimately lacks the ...

As it was in the original movie (which received an Oscar nod for its makeup efforts), a critical component of making the character of Otto interesting is to make him interesting to look at by aging him and shaping his face so that it’s plausible that the actor playing young Otto in flashbacks could plausibly grow into his elder co-star. Sony’s version of the movie, by contrast, comes out at a time when “grumpy old white guy” has taken on a vastly different meaning than it had in 2015, and as a result, Otto’s reactions to his Mexican immigrant neighbors and their family foibles feel slightly more off-key, making his redemption arc narrative slightly harder to swallow. It wasn’t all that long ago that Hanks was still playing a middle-aged action hero on the big screen (think 2016’s Inferno), but he has quickly and repeatedly embraced the cranky old man trope in ways that make Otto feel a remake twice over. As their problems unwittingly become Otto’s own, he comes to realize that despite it all — those damn neighborhood kids, the capitalist profit mongers bleeding everyone dry, and the general lack of decency and morals left in society — his life is still meaningful and worth living. A film about a grouchy neighbor’s arc of redemption, it feels particularly unoriginal in light of the roles that Hanks has played, and ultimately lacks the tender eccentricity that made the 2015 Swedish film so beloved. Hanks plays the titular Otto, a grumpy 60-year-old man who’s practically the original “Get Off My Lawn” guy, having grown incredulous with the laziness and solipsism of younger generations.

A MAN CALLED OTTO (Movieguide)

A MAN CALL OTTO is a well-made, entertaining movie with many heartwarming moments. Despite the movie's references to attempted suicide...

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Review: Tom Hanks gives 'A Man Called Otto' an easygoing sincerity (Greater Milwaukee Today)

It says something about the current state of studio filmmaking in Hollywood that all the things that make "A Man Called Otto" stand out are things that ...

The tender message of hopefulness and spiritual renewal is a welcome tonic as the year comes to a close. It is not meant as faint praise to say that "A Man Called Otto" is nice. She barges into Otto's orderly life and brings a bit of chaos with her, inserting a much-needed liveliness into the movie as well. Directed by Marc Forster, the film is based on the 2012 novel "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman, which became an international bestseller and previously was adapted into a 2016 Swedish film that earned two Oscar nominations. These should be the basic building blocks of Hollywood moviemaking and yet here we are, with "A Man Called Otto" feeling special for being a winsome dramedy with some effective moments of tearjerking tenderness. A genuine movie star is allowed to radiate charisma and charm, and all the performances have character nuance and emotional depth.

A Man Called Otto movie review (2022) | Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert)

In Marc Forster's genial, earnest yet unremarkable dramedy “A Man Called Otto,” the titular character Otto can't pick his daily battles even if his life ...

[Mariana Treviño](/cast-and-crew/mariana-trevi%C3%B1o), the absolute best thing about the film) and Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Ruflo), who often ask little favors from the grumpy Otto. His life apparently changed when he accidentally met the dreamy Sonya ( [Rachel Keller](/cast-and-crew/rachel-keller)), who later on became his wife and passed away recently. [Marc Forster](/cast-and-crew/marc-forster)’s genial, earnest yet unremarkable dramedy “A Man Called Otto,” the titular character Otto can’t pick his daily battles even if his life depended on it.