- A MAN CALLED OTTO
- Starring: Tom Hanks and Mariana Trevino
- Directred by: Marc Forster
- Rated: PG 13
- Running time: 2 hrs 6 mins
- STX Entertainment
Otto (Hanks) is a man set in his ways. Every day he arises and make his rounds through his small neighborhood, doing his best to keep his neighbors united in not selling to a large property management firm. When he’s not picking up trash or yelling at people to slow down as they drive past, Otto mourns for his late wife, the only person he feels understood him. When a new family moves in across the street, Otto learns that maybe his way isn’t always the right way.
Based on “A Man Called Ove,” a 2015 Swedish film, “A Man Called Otto” is well intntioned but a little too heavy handed at times. Hanks plays Otto as if he is the mellower brother of Clint Eastwood’s Walt from “Grand Torino.” His way is the way it should be and all others be damned. The new family across the street, headed by Mom Marisol (Trevino) begin to wear Otto down until he’s actually giving driving lessons and trying to make amends with friends he has wronged. Otto is keepoing a secret from everyone, one that we slowly begin to learn. He’s not a bad man. He’s just lonely and wishes to be in what he thinks is a better place.
As the seasons go by, from the warmth of spring to the fresh snow of winter, the characters become more familiar to the audience and each other. Otto may not be a saint, but he is a good man at heart, and heart is what this film is all about.