A MAN CALLED OTTO

Director: Marc Forster
Starring: Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Truman Hanks, Mike Birbiglia, Mack Bayda, Juanita Jennings, Peter Lawson Jones, Cameron Britton, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo

Tom Hanks’ new film A Man Called Otto won’t be the movie you’re expecting from the trailer. It’s far better and more sincere than you may expect. The film is an English-language remake of the Swedish film A Man Called Ove. Hanks stars as Otto Anderson, that crotchety neighbor you know who picks fights over petty situations like overpaying for rope at the hardware store or when people drive through the resident only drive way. With Tom Hanks playing him, you immediately feel there must be a life-altering past for Otto, and the film frequently calls back to his younger self. He was denied for the draft due to a heart condition, but then met the love of his life, Sonya, in a twist of fate. In present day, his attempt at suicide fails when a new family moves in next door making a ruckus as their UHAUL backs into place. Meeting neighbors Marisol, her husband Tommy and their two daughters becomes a turning point for Otto as it has him examining how he treats others and what his late wife would want from him.

Here’s my review