A man called Otto (Tom Hanks)

(Amazon UK link)

A few months ago I read and very much liked the book ‘A man called Ove’, by Fredrik Backman. I already knew that there was a film based on the book, and had put it on my wishlist. I received ‘A man called Otto’ for my birthday, a few months before reading the book. But we hadn’t got around to watching it until last night. 

I was aware that Tom Hanks played the title role in the film. When I read the book, I imagined him in the part, and thought he was perfect for it. I don’t know why the title character’s name was changed from Ove to Otto, but it wasn’t a big deal. And while the book is set in a small town in Sweden, the film is set in a small town in the United States. There are other changes, too, which irritate some fans of the book. But they didn’t worry me. 

The film opens when Otto is trying to buy some rope, arguing with the sales assistant about the cost. It’s a good way to portray his extreme pedantry and precision of outlook. He is a very organised, controlled person who likes to follow the same routine every day. And as I expected, Tom Hanks is wonderful in this role. He is exactly as I had imagined Otto. 

After his purchases, we see him patrolling the grounds of the complex where he lives. He checks that the recycling bins are used correctly (and moves items placed in the wrong ones). And he gets into an angry debate with a delivery van who has - in Otto’s mind - trespassed by driving onto their private road without a permit. 

There are some new neighbours trying to move in. In the book they are a Persian family, but in the film they’re Mexican. But they are similar in outlook - very open-hearted, generous, and expecting everyone to be friendly. The wife, Marisol (Mariana Treviño) loves to bake, and regularly takes things to Otto. She has two children and is heavily pregnant. Her husband Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is kind, a bit naive and not all that bright. 

In the book there are a lot of neighbours - too many for me to keep track of. In the film, the only ones we get to know somewhat are Jimmy, who likes to keep fit; Malcolm, a teenager who first irritates Otto by leaving his bicycle in the wrong place, and an older couple, Anita and Reuben, who used to be close to Otto and his wife. But Reuben has some form of dementia, and Anita isn’t well either. Oh, and there’s also a woman with a dog who clashes regularly with Otto… and there’s a cat who won’t go away. 

The story itself is not one that would normally be thought of as suitable for a light novel or film. Otto does not want to live any longer. He’s recently retired, and as we quite quickly learn in the film, his beloved wife died within the past year. It takes much longer for this to be obvious in the book, which is quite complicated in places with flashbacks. 

The film makes it much clearer - the only flashbacks are the ones in which we learn about Otto’s relationship with Sonia (Rachel Keller). I thought they were very well done, with a younger man in Otto’s role. Truman Hanks is apparently Tom Hanks’ son, which is perhaps why he feels right for this part, despite not looking all that similar. 

During the course of the film, Otto attempts more than once to end his life. It could have been traumatic, but each time something happens - either the attempts fails, or he’s interrupted with something else. He can’t avoid answering doors, or helping people when they’re in trouble. Despite his grumpy, rigid attitudes, he’s altruistic and caring deep down. 

It’s character-based, and inevitably in an hour and a half can’t cover everything from a full-length novel. We don’t see much of Otto’s childhood, for one thing, or how he started work. But I thought that, overall, it was extremely well-done. There’s humour - often in Tom Hanks’ perfect timing of a remark - and light-heartedness in the joy of the Mexican family. There are also some deeper issues touched on: the role of the state in deciding where elderly folk should live, for instance, and how to relate to a transgender person. They’re done sensitively, and leave much to think about.

The pace is just right, the acting excellent, albeit caricatured (deliberately) in some cases. The ending is poignant, and yet there’s no other ending that would have worked. And it leads to positive changes in the lifestyle and expectations of others. 

The rating is 15 in the UK (PG-13 in the United States) which reflects the nature of the film rather than anything specific. There’s nothing remotely sexual, and only mild bad language. There’s some mild gore, but nothing gratuitous, and Otto’s first attempt at taking his life is quite traumatic, so it’s not a film I’d want a child to see, or a sensitive or depressed teenager. Nor would it be appropriate for anyone likely to be negatively triggered by a story about someone who wants to kill himself.

But, with those provisos, we thought it a very good film. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's DVD Reviews