Based on a book, A Man Called Otto is the latest Tom Hanks movie that feels like it is made to tug at your heartstrings. Who doesn’t love Tom Hanks? This movie is very typical of Tom Hanks and I mean that in a complimentary way. The wife and I went to see this as there was nothing else new for us to see at our theatre and we both felt it was good.
How to Download A Man Called Otto
Sometime after its theatrical release, you can expect the film to become available on Netflix. Click on the Download button at the end of this review, and check the current availability. Check out also some other films with Tom Hanks – Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, The Terminal, or News of The World.
The Movie Review
Now, I have not read the book or even seen the first movie (which I think is Swedish) based on it so I cannot compare it to those. However, as a comedy-drama, I do feel that this gets most things right and Tom Hanks is as likable as ever here. I was kind of shocked by the tonal change the movie took.
At first, we see Otto (Tom Hanks) living his life and he is a grouchy old dude that seems to be annoyed by pretty much everyone around him. It is funny to see him get angry and frustrated and I have to say that from the trailer, this was the way that I thought the movie was going to go the entire time.
However, this movie while it is a comedy is actually quite dark and sad. I am not going into major spoilers here, but Otto loses his wife several months before the start of the movie and he wants to end his own life as he cannot live without her. Even with him being such a grouchy old man, this is so sad and makes you feel so sorry for the guy.
His latest suicide attempt is foiled by a new family that is moving in. We have husband and wife, Marisol and Tommy along with their kids, Abby and Luna. While the new neighbors annoy him greatly, he does eventually warm up to them and they have a very nice bond.
Otto still wants to end his life, but things keep getting in the way! Otto even ends up a viral sensation at one point which is pretty funny to see, but it also shows that at his core, he is a really good man. A good man who is hurting really bad and having a troubled time letting go and moving on.
One thing that I liked was the flashback scenes. We get to see some key moments from the past with Otto and his wife. Now, I have heard that some people did not like these, but I did, I felt that they added more to Otto as a character and made you like him even more. Some of these flashback scenes may have lasted a tad too long, but for the most part, I am very glad they were here.
Overall, this was a good time and as I said, we both enjoyed it. If you want a movie that is going to make you smile, make you sad and then make you laugh, A Man Called Otto is the movie for you. Yet, I do have to say that for as much as I liked the movie, it is not the kind of movie that you have to see on the big screen so if you are on the fence about it after seeing the trailer, you may be better waiting for it to hit streaming.
