- Date of Release: 13 January 2023
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Language: English
A Man Called Otto
Introduction
It is till a Tuesday and I did have a couple of slots free that did give me an opportunity to visit my watchlist. With that I finished watching the new English film Man From Otto which had been lying in my watchlist since January 2023. As usual I knew nothing about the film but often, the film posters do give you a vibe of what the film has in store for you. And here particularly, it did feature Tom Hanks with the tagline being ‘Fall In Love With The Grumpiest Man Of America’. Instantly, I did get a feel-good vibe from the film, something that you would associate with a little bit of sunshine on a grim day which would change the trajectory of the entire day. And so I was really curious on what the film had to offer. Now that I have finished watching the film ‘A Man Called Otto’, here are my two cents on the film.
Story & Screenplay
A Man From Otto follows the story of Otto Anderson who is quite the grumpiest man alive in his neighbour, until one day an arrival of a new neighbour changes his life forever. The story is so emotional and heartwarming that I couldn’t control my tears in a few scenes. It most definitely has its heart in the right place and the story did instantly put a smile on my face. The screenplay standing at just a shade above 2 hours does make for a brisk watch where the proceedings are light and frothy.
The drama does open with the introduction of the protagonist, and it is established from the very first scene that the man has a temper and is quite grumpy on the most frivolous things. You do get a glimpse of his daily routine and his equations with people in his neighbourhood until a new family moves in next door. There is a sense of a positive vibe to the drama from the beginning to the end. Slowly but surely as the drama does progress, you get a hold of the character of the protagonist and why he was grumpy.
One of the biggest challenges for an elderly person is to cope with loneliness after a certain age. The companionship which you were always used to either through your friends or spouses does eventually take a beating. This is particularly the case when you see people around you who are younger to you, die. There is a sense of helplessness that does translate into anger. And that is beautifully shown here. My generation has been quite vocal about sensitive topics like depression wherein the term is also now loosely used. But what we fail to understand is that depression is also relevant in elderly people, but the form of letting the steam out is different. They may not have been vocal about it in their young age and so there is no way that they would be vocal towards the last leg of their lives. And that is so well represented here through the character of Otto. And as they say, miracles happen when you least expect them!
Otto is a fascinating character who had already given up on life till he could slowly crawl his way back. And this for me did seem so organic, primarily because of the turn of events and the character dynamics across various characters. The drama is really heartfelt and it did seem like a warm embrace every now and then. We all would be able to relate to that one character in our lives who has a behavior similar to Otto. And so kindness and a bit of caring are something that we could all pledge on. Instead of reacting, take a step back and understand the psyche of the character. Something that the character of Marisol did so well here.
If I had to pick on small elements of criticism then it would be the pacing of the final act and the events leading up to it. The switch in behavior did seem a little suddenly although individually the proceedings did work fine. And that led to a final act which was warm yet forced you to shed a tear or two. This meant that the drama had all its good intentions in place and it did make for a wonderful watch, overall.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but oozing with positivity in every scene. The music does have a touch of melancholy to it that does touch your heart and soul. It did seem like basking in the sunshine with a hint of rain that did end up being bittersweet in nature. The BGM is warm and uplifting. The cinematography and colour grading are absolute winners, often playing with bright colours that almost were representive of how beautiful the world is if you are willing to look around. Director Marc Forster does an incredible job here in keeping the drama light and frothy without any melodrama. The fact that the treatment here is quite simple(with layered characters), helps in connecting to the drama and characters in a below manner.
Performances
The performances are excellent by the ensemble cast. Cameron Brittan as Jimmy, Juanita Jennings as Anita, Manuel Garcia-Ruflo as Tommy, Kelly Lamor Wilson as Shari, all have their moments to shine. Mark Bayda as Malcolm delivers a heartfelt performance. Truman Hanks(son of Tom Hanks) as the young Otto is sincere and earnest. Rachel Keller as Sonya looks pretty and does an impressive job. Mariana Trevino as Marisol is phenomenal and such a natural onscreen. But it is Tom Hanks who is yet again brilliant and tugs the strings of your heart with his heartwarming act. The multiple shades of his personality ensures that his character has different moods to play with. And he is incredibly good here in a performance that lingers on long after the film has ended.
Conclusion
A Man Called Otto is a sweet little heartwarming tale to brighten up your day that comes with my highest recommendation.