A Man Called Otto

While I have seen thousands of hours worth of motion pictures, I have only seen a few that have brought me to tears. I've done multiple tours in the Middle East, I've been in very emotional situations with families, but only a few movies have made me cry. This was a movie I saw, but never found appealing as I'm not the fondest of dramas, but I took the gamble. Within the first 36 minutes, I saw scenes i could relate to, scenes where I've been in those shoes and I had to have a box of tissues avilable. I had to take a few moments and I catch my breath, because this movie was extremely emotional to me, which doesn't happen often. If you need to take a moment and reflect and your own life, take a couple hours, and watch this.

In gentle dramedy "A Man Called Otto" (remaking Sweden's 2015 "A Man Called Ove") Tom Hanks excels (no surprise - what an actor) as the titular widower grieving his late wife (Rachel Keller in flashbacks (with Truman Hanks as the younger version of his actual dad)), preparing to join her, and using grumpiness to fend off friends & neighbours like Mariana Treviño (outstanding), Cameron Britton, Mack Bayda & Juanita Jennings - but might community spirit, mutual disdain for realtor Mike Birbiglia, and a cat warm him up? Director Marc Forster, writer David Magee, and especially Hanks & Treviño bring it all home with understated humour, polish, & quiet class.

Good grief there are some really grumpy reviewers out there. This is the perfect vehicle for Tom Hanks and he makes the most of the opportunity. ( I note that he and Rita Wilson are producers ). Yes it is a remake of a classic Swedish movie but this plays out to a much larger audience while retaining the same sentiments. Well written and acted this is great entertainment moving seamlessly from comedy to drama and ultimately packs an emotional punch that makes it memorable and pushes it into one of the best movies of the year . A great reminder of why Tom Hanks has been at the top for so long while providing a break out supporting role for Mariano Trevino who is genuinely both very funny and very moving. Can I also highlight the soundtrack ... especially the Kate Bush single . Highly recommended .

The original Swedish version (A man called Ove) is a masterpiece and so I when I watched this remake I was worried that it would be a poor paper version in comparison to the depth of the original. Whilst there is the slight inevitable "warming" of the production for the American audience, I was pleased that the key themes were carried over well and the tweaks made to westernise the story were done delicately and consistently woven throughout the whole of the film.

It's obvious that Tom Hanks had studied the original in minute detail, he really did justice to the portal of the character, owning it but demonstrating awareness of how brilliantly the original Swedish actor had delivered the nuances of this unique depressed and cantankerous old man.

I struggle with subtitles but really enjoyed the Swedish version and recommend you watch it if you enjoyed this one.

Wow. I was not prepared for that. I thought I was going to see a comedy film about a grumpy man who gets frustrated with his neighbours. I did not expect to be in tears by the end - and not tears of laughter.

I did not have the experience of the original book or film so I went into this with no particular expectations. It's been a long time since a movie touched me in this way.

Tom Hanks excels as Otto in a character so unlike any other he has played before. His own son played his younger self which added a level of authenticity to the role. The supporting cast brought a mix of humour and pathos resulting in beautiful and moving film that hit all the right notes.

Don't go and see this without tissues folks!