When you hear the name Tom Hanks, you’ll likely recall his memorable performance as Sheriff Woody from “Toy Story” or the goofy and lovable titular character in “Forrest Gump”.
In this second movie adaptation of Swedish author Fredrik Backman’s book “A Man Called Ove”, the veteran actor plays a man called Otto, who loses his wife to cancer a few months prior to the movie’s start.
Feeling he has lost his reason to live, Otto decides to hang himself in the home he and his wife Sonya (Rachel Keller) shared.
The movie starts with Otto buying a length of rope from a hardware store for his intended suicide. The audience gets their first glimpse of his grouchiness when he loses his cool at the cashier after being overcharged for his purchase.
More outbursts follow in subsequent scenes – misplaced recycling bins tick him off, a neighbour’s parking permits tick him off… you get the idea.
When he’s finally ready to commit to the deed, he is unceremoniously interrupted by the heavily pregnant Marisol (a lovable Mariana Treviño), who’s just moved in with her husband Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and their two daughters.
It is this meeting with the family across the street that triggers a chain of events for Otto as the audience gradually sees softer, more human aspects of his personality emerge.
What works here is obviously Hanks’ take on the grumpy Otto, where he switches between rude and abrasive to sympathetic and caring with the greatest of ease.
While his character has a temper, he is still a kind-hearted person, and the audience sees how he became like this through some sweet but heart-wrenching flashbacks with Sonya.
Fun fact: Hanks’ son Truman plays his younger self in those scenes, and his performance is adequate but nothing to scream about.
Other than Hanks, Treviño is undoubtedly the MVP here. Equipped with a chirpy personality and zeal for life, Marisol is a stark contrast to her neighbour across the street from her.
She’s the kind of loving mom that you’ll find hard to say no to, and her gradual friendship with Otto, albeit predictable, is the heart of the film.
As for the other characters, there’s a surprisingly moving subplot involving Malcolm (Mack Bayda), a transgender former student of Sonya’s who befriends Otto.
Forming a sort-of-mentor-protégé relationship with the young man, yet another side of Otto’s complex personality is revealed as his journey of healing deepens.
With a well-rounded supporting cast, “A Man called Otto” is a heartwarming tale about finding love and support when you least expect it, and there likely won’t be a dry eye in the cinema by the time you leave.
While it doesn’t offer wild plot twists or outlandish scenarios, there are enough genuine scenes and truly funny-slash-witty moments to make it worth your time.
As of press time, ‘A Man Called Otto’ is screening in selected cinemas nationwide.