A Man Called Otto – a movie review by Alex First
Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks) seems like anything but a nice man. He likes to keep to himself and is curt to the point of rudeness. In fact, he is known for it.
Effectively pushed out of his engineering job, Otto busies himself preparing to end it all.
And then, a lively young Mexican family moves in across the road.
Marisol (Mariana Treviño) and Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) have two young daughters and Marisol is pregnant with her third child.
She can’t drive and his handyman skills leave a lot to be desired, so they frequently call upon a less than gracious Otto for help.
Marisol can’t understand why Otto is so brusque … all the time.
He also has little time or patience for his other neighbours in the closed estate where he lives.
In particular, for many years, he has been feuding with his former friend Reuben (Peter Lawson Jones) and Reuben’s wife Anita (Juanita Jennings).
Reuben is now wheelchair-bound, unable to speak, with barely any movement, yet Otto is unrepentant.
As the movie unfolds, we learn that six months ago, the love of Otto’s life Sonya (Rachel Keller) passed away at the age of 63.
The wound that is left is a gaping hole, and he feels there is nothing left to live for.
We see how they met, how their relationship developed and what happened along the way.
These snippets are drip fed to us as Otto fights an ongoing battle with the realtor responsible for the estate.
Filled with warmth, humour and pathos, A Man Called Otto is based on the #1 New York Times bestseller A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and a film of the same name by Hannes Holm.
The screenplay is by David Magee (Life of Pi), with direction from Marc Foster (Christopher Robin).
It is a beautifully constructed and orchestrated picture – a feel-good movie – about a hurting man who, against expectations, gets a second chance.
The performances are delightful, led by Hanks who seems perfectly at home as a curmudgeon. He revels as a grump.
His interrelationship with the other actors works a treat, as does his tentative relationship with a stray cat.
Rachel Keller comes across as kind, considerate and caring as Sonya, who gave meaning and purpose to Otto’s life.
Mariana Treviño brings joie de vivre and feistiness to her role as the quick-witted Marisol. She is quite a revelation.
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo channels his inner child as Tommy.
Around them, the other neighbourhood characters also endear themselves to the audience.
They include Cameron Britton, who brings more humour into play as a man who believes in exaggerated exercise.
A Man Called Otto is a story that draws you in from the get-go and holds you tight throughout.
It makes for delightful viewing.
Rated M, it scores an 8½ out of 10.
A Man Called Otto (M) – Running time 126 minutes
