A Man Called Otto (Marc Forster) - Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller

Описание: A Man Called Otto is a sincere, middle-of-the-road film by Marc Forester. Played by renowned actor Tom Hanks, the protagonist Otto is a man who just can't catch a break. The uptight middle-aged man is bothered by the slightest little inconvenience or annoyance any passer-by in his quiet suburb causes him. He gets so worked up that sometimes it brings back nightmarish memories of Ebenezer Scrooge.

I argue with the insinuation of this movie that the bewildering, consistent, odd man being unfair or irrational in every situation in this film. In fact, a lot of the things he is annoyed by are in fact rather justified. Is there really a reason for him to buy overpay for more rope than he needs just for the sake of rounding convenience? Shouldn’t he be able to pull into his garage without people leaving their garbage cans in front of his driveway or UPS vans blocking the street without city authorization? Aren’t laws and regulations put in place for a reason? Is it not reasonable for him to confront annoying realtors who drive to quiet suburban areas just to cause a ruckus and disturb the whole community?

While he may often be right to be annoyed, it’s the extent to which Otto is bothered that gives you pause. He himself could do well to cultivate some politeness, let alone cases when a friendly mother knocks on his door as a token of friendship.

The film is an American remake of the original Swedish film “A Man Called Ove” from 2015. The movie by Hannes Holm did about just as good as job as this average movie, despite this movie having to compete with the originality of the first one. The protagonist used to be kinder earlier in his life. We see exaggerated, lurid scenes from Otto's past, in which despite Otto not being the most confident or social boy in the world, he was actually brought up to be nice and considerate toward other people. As a boy, he walked around with a nerdy hairstyle that didn't make him look particularly cool, played by Tom Hank's son Truman Hanks. He was into building electronics and studying them from the inside out. He counted his lucky stars when a stunning girl named Sony, played by Rachel Keller, came into his life. The two eventually tied the knot, yet she had an early death.

Just as in the original Swedish movie, the protagonist wants to rejoin her in the afterlife. He continually tries to kill himself, but this is always prevented by some weird, often humorous outside influence. Sometimes, by something merely embarrassing and not humorous at all. Tom Hanks’ character is mainly prevented from doing so by his recently arrived new chipper parent neighbors Tommy, played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo who can't stop asking the irritable Otto to help him with stuff, and the upbeat Marisol played by Mariana Treviño, who injected real personality into this movie. Other characters around Otto's block that he can't stand are Otto's former buddy Rueben, played by Peter Lawson Jones, and his partner Anita, played by Juanita Jennings, a since friendship gone rotten. Then there is Jimmy the workout enthusiast, played by Cameron Britton, and a disowned, nice transgender boy named Malcom, played by Mack Bayda. Also annoying him is some wandering cat that for a long time no one can figure out how to deal with.

One of the puzzling themes in this film is why only well into the movie do the people bothering Otto pick up on the fact that he's not happy with their company. For a long time, everyone thinks fine of the man and expects him to come around, as his total abrasiveness and unwillingness to associate with him goes completely over their heads. Viewers will be baffled as to why his co-workers set up a party to celebrate his retirement, as they obviously won't get any gratitude from him, as well as why Marisol goes to great lengths to inspire him to be a kinder person while Otto slams the door immediately on every opportunity.

The movie becomes endearing though when he actually does take a turn toward becoming a kinder person and compensating for his disagreeableness, as it turns out his heart is going to give out. One of the ways that he makes up for his vileness is by rescuing a person from death while a bunch of other people obliviously obsess over their chats and social media. After that, he gains greater kindness points by allowing Malcom to live with him. Then, he befriends Marisol. These two are bright spots among a fairly ordinary plotline.

Music: Lucid Dreamer - Spazz Cardigan    / @chazcardigan  

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