★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Warning: This review contains spoilers and discussion of themes of suicide and death.
ANOTHER Tom Hanks film is finally available on the paid streaming site Netflix — the dramedy A Man Called Otto.
It premiered on Netflix on Saturday, July 22.
Originally released in 2022, the film directed by Marc Forster and written by David Magee is based on the bestselling novel A Man Called Ove by Swedish writer Fredrik Backman.
A Man Called Otto at a glance
The motion picture stars Hanks, with his son Truman who played his younger version for the titular role. It is a bittersweet story of a crabby old man who seems to get easily annoyed by every little blunder of his neighbors and strangers.
But Otto hasn’t always been this insufferable. Although socially awkward, he was a nice and approachable guy when he was younger.
Young Otto played by Truman Hanks. | Courtesy: Sony Pictures
His life became better when he met his wife in a train station. He found his life’s purpose and found happiness by her side, despite the challenges he had faced.
But everything changed when she lost the battle to cancer.
Despite Otto being cranky and rude on most occasions, most of his neighbors treat him with patience and acceptance, especially the Mendes family — Marisol, Tommy, and the kids — who just moved in across the street.
These annoyingly perky neighbors have a habit of asking Otto for favors, which include borrowing his wrenches and ladder, or asking him to babysit their two daughters.
Soon enough, Otto warms up to them, and from them he finds a new family.
Otto with the Mendes kids. | Courtesy: Sony Pictures
Otto’s despair
Behind his eternally grumpy face, Otto is a desperately lonely man.
He dedicated most of his life to his wife, Sonya, which was why when death knocked on her door, Otto could no longer seem to find the strength to continue living.
His wife’s passing made Otto determined to follow her, as he made several attempts to take his own life. But these were mostly interrupted by mundanely awkward scenarios.
In between enjoying the tubs of cookies and Mexican dishes Mirasol packs for him, Otto is a man navigating through grief and longing brought by losing the one he cherishes the most. He is a shadow of a man he once was — one who was kind, passionate, full of life.
One could even call him the anti-Forest Gump, a total opposite of one the character of one of Hank’s most famous films.
Eventually, Otto learns that beyond his sorrow is a life still worth living. He learns to make amends with his neighbors by helping them with their daily troubles like he used to.
Courtesy: Sony Pictures
Nothing unique
Although A Man Called Otto does its job quite perfectly, which includes tugging the right heartstrings to make anyone laugh and cry when the film invites them to, there is nothing more that the film offers to its audience.
It is formulaic, a film that heavily clung to tried and tested tropes and cliché scenes to amp up the feels.
A Man Called Otto is everything one would expect it to be — a sappy comedy drama that teaches you the value of life, friendship, family, and kindness.
It might be good enough to pass a quiet weekend, but it doesn’t deliver much else to the table.
Courtesy: Sony Pictures
