A Man Called Otto – A Wholesome Remake

Whenever any foreign language film makes it big in North America, an English language remake is inevitable. Often releasing to mixed results, it’s all about leveraging (or some may say mooching off of) an existing property for personal or financial gain. A Man Called Ove, a Swedish film about a grumpy old man, but really one in mourning, is given a new lease on life from an unexpected source. A Man Called Otto changes said grumpy old man’s name and essentially tells the same story for better or worse. What could have easily been a recipe for disaster is saved by the only actor that could have possibly played the titular grumpy old man, Tom Hanks. Despite being a remake, the film still has a charm to it, not only because of Hanks but also the supporting cast around him. However, at the end of the day, this is undisputedly Hanks’ show. Underneath Otto’s gruff exterior are many layers of pain and while he may come as an unlikable character to some, there’s no way that any audience can dislike Hanks as his charm and likeability still find a way to come through.

For those who haven’t seen the original Swedish film, A Man Called Otto of course follows a grumpy old man named Otto (Hanks) who has given up on life after the recent loss of his wife Sonya. Relentlessly enforcing the many rules of his neighborhood, his neighbors got used to it as it algo gave him a reputation in the area. Ready to end it all, things began to change for Otto once a new family moved in across the street. With this new family, Otto may have met his match in the matriarch Marisol (Treviño) who was definitely willing to stand up to him. Resigned to just looking down on everyone else for whom he considered idiots, there was something different about her. Seemingly always finding a way to get involved in his life and attempts to end it, he perhaps took pity on them and helped them out on several occasions. Over their time together, the family appears to soften Otto up. However, this fact did not deter him from his mission to be reunited with his wife.

While those lighter moments are certainly a highlight, the film also shines in the other contemplative moments with Otto himself as he deals with his grief and reflects on his relationship with Sonya. A series of compelling flashbacks between a younger Otto (Tom Hanks’ son Truman) and Sonya (Keller) help add context to his complicated and often heartbreaking backstory and how it led to the person he was in the present. As he consistently tried and then failed to end his own life, it served as yet another reminder of that life was worth living and that he had something to live for. Though it may not have looked that way at times, he impacted a lot of lives, none more than his fellow neighbors for whom he started to reconnect with. Taking out his frustrations with the world on those around him for so long, Otto set his target on the real culprits as the fate of his neighborhood hanged in the balance. Finally deciding to live, it became clear that his life was not going to last forever as he was already living on borrowed time. In spite of this, the film still finds a way to end on a good note.

It goes without saying that the best part of A Man Called Otto is the aforementioned Hanks. Delivering one of his better performances in a long time, he imbues so much depth in Otto, putting layers of pain behind the grumpy façade. He makes an unlikeable character likeable and empathetic with charm and likeability alone while getting to show off some range as the character gets pulled in different directions. Hanks’ delivery improves the script as his one-liners are sure to elicit some laughs if he isn’t making audiences cry. Meanwhile, Treviño held her own alongside Hanks, stealing scenes with her energy alone which was needed to contrast what some would call the lack of energy coming from Hanks’ Otto.

In the end, A Man Called Otto may not quite reach the heights of the original Swedish film but is nonetheless a wholesome watch and the perfect star vehicle for Tom Hanks.

*still courtesy of Sony Pictures*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.