A Man Called Otto
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.
- Released: 2022-12-25
- Runtime: 120 minutes
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Stars: Tom Hanks, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Cameron Britton, Mike Birbiglia, Elle Chapman, Truman Hanks, John Higgins, Tony Bingham, Lily Kozub, Mack Bayda, Juanita Jennings, Peter Lawson Jones, Peter Sipla, Carl Clemons, Kristy Nolen, Dominick Marrone, Cindy Jackson, Christiana Montoya, Alessandra Perez
- Director: Marc Forster
Comments
- ericksonken-32262 - 25 June 2024
It was all the clowns fault...
A charming movie about life, love, and loss. Otto is a man distraught after his wife has passed away, yet finds a new reason for living through the family that moves next-door to him. His grief and sorrow are replaced with a new lease on life, as he learns to navigate through his own inner turmoil. In the end, he develops a newfound reason for living and discovers how to love again.
Tom Hanks gives an Oscar worthy performance and the supporting cast create an atmospheric presence few films have developed. I am baffled this movie did not garner more attention and positive reviews from film critics.
Buyer beware... this is an emotional roller coaster ride and sure to jerk several tears from moviegoers who appreciate the nuances and intricacies that are prevalent throughout the film. The soundtrack and score beautifully capture the flavor and fragrance of the character development.
If you enjoy movies with undertones of realism, sarcasm, and wit, this one is definitely worth a watch. Life can be beautiful, even in the midst of sadness and regret. - tonosov-51238 - 14 April 2024
Lamentable remake of a mediocre movie
Repeating beat for beat the imagery, plot, and outright scenes, this Tom Hanks machine is a pointless rumination of an already existing movie that by itself wasn't original in its own right.
I have the identical issues I had with the Swedish one, and here they are just amplified. Starting with the main character, whom the script tries it's hardest to make you feel pity for as he concurrently tells everyone to go to hell and they surprisingly never do because deep inside, they know he actually cares. No matter how insolent or dismissive he is. Do not worry, viewer, he may be angry, but he is a quirky type of angry. You know, mad about parking in the wrong place or not recycling your garbage properly. Do not fret, he isn't racist, sexist, homo or transphobic. No, no, no, that would give some nuance to his character and make him resemble Walt Kowalski too much, and we mustn't stop the pity party. So it goes.
Tom Hanks mutters to himself as he narrates to the viewer what he feels because you can't trust an actor like Hanks to silently convey his contempt or sadness. No, he has to say it. It's an American remake. Accompanied by the staple music you'd hear on some low-budget episodic TV shows on public channels.
"But why are you so cynical, schmuck? It's just a feel-good movie." How can I not be? When the remake by itself cynically upped the ante of advocacy, turning gay guy with some kind of character development to FTM with the only character trait being that he likes cars because that's what dudes do, they like freaking cars. I half expected him to chop the logs next. Not to mention the borderline satirical portrayal of social media and the insertion of the most annoying Latino woman actor I have ever seen. If this was intentional, then I applaud. Except something tells me that this Masters of Art in Latino Literature is supposed to be endearing because Iranians in the original sure managed to be lovable.
On one positive note, the transitions between flashbacks and reality were very inventive and were the only thing that even remotely perked up my interest throughout the entire movie.
