Tom Hanks has built a career playing the hero, the everyman and “America’s favourite character actor”. From The Green Mile to Castaway and from Sleeping in Seattle all the way to Bridge of Spies or even the Toy Story films, no other actor has such an epic library of films in their back catalogue than Tom Hanks. So I can understand why he chose to play the titular character in A Man Called Otto. Known for his warmth, his friendliness and his charm, Tom Hanks has decided to go against type to play a closed-off, rude and grumpy old man.
Otto is the central character of this film and all the other characters in the film are there to either hinder him or to support him in some way. There’s the friendly jogger Jimmy who knows Otto’s day-by-day routine, then there’s the cyclist delivering pamphlets with Malcolm and then there’s the new next-door neighbour, the matriarch of her family, the young and intrusive Marisol, played by Mariana Treviño. The antics between Otto and Marisol are the heart of the film and the rest of the film is sadly rather miserable with themes of grief, loneliness and death hanging over the majority of the runtime.
There is no plot per se, with the film instead following Otto’s daily routine as he attempts to end his life, only to fail at every opportunity. Sounds rather tragic but the film deals with this issue rather delicately and light-heartedly, but sometimes the comedy does fail to outweigh these heavy themes, causing an imbalance to the story. Otto starts off unlikeable, but after bonding with Marisol and helping her with housework and teaching her to drive he soon begins to see what his late wife saw in him - he can be very helpful and thoughtful when he wants to be. Although he wouldn’t admit it, Otto is very much a people person.
Marc Forster is on directing duties, and this is the guy who has made films such as Quantum of Solace and Christopher Robin so he knows a thing or two about balancing character and emotion. This is what Forster and Hanks do best and I love how the character of Otto changes and evolves over the film as we learn more about his life and why he is who he is. There are some laughable moments in the film, such as a stressful driving lesson or an interaction with a hospital clown, but the comedy is only there to make the feel less miserable. Despite the film talking so much about living life to the full, there’s very little living in the film with the cold weather and the grey houses providing a dull backdrop for the story. There’s not a lot of colour in Otto’s life, which is sadly what this film needs.
★★★☆☆
3/5
Final Verdict:
Tom Hanks is in fine form and completely inhabits the character of Otto, and you forget it is Tom Hanks playing him because he is just so miserable and you can’t imagine someone so used to playing lovable figures in a role such as this. The plot drags along, but the bulk of the film is dedicated to learning about Otto. Although he is a tragic character he does have some tender moments and some limited fun throughout the film. A Man Called Otto isn’t a bad film but a bit more substance wouldn’t have gone amiss. Tom Hanks is the main selling point here and this is very much his film.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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