A Man Called Otto Review: Tom Hanks, Mariana Trevino & A Cat Make This American Remake Irresistible

If you have an international bestseller that stayed on the NYT list for 42 weeks and then turned into a Swedish film that won multiple Oscars and became the third highest grossing in the history of the country that Ingmar Bergman called home has, you might be wondering What was this supposed to mean for an American English remake? The answer is a chance to give Tom Hanks a role he can step into, and most importantly, bring a very human, often funny, character-driven story back to light at a time when it needs it more than ever.

swedish movie, A man named Ove was a huge hit in 2015, as was Fredrik Backman’s book, and it just so happened that Rolf Lassgard flourished in the lead role. He played Ove, a cantankerous widower who, if he didn’t insist, everyone was doing something to be or on the highway in his gated neighborhood he planned to commit suicide to join his late wife who died of cancer.

Screenwriter David Magee and director Marc Forster recreated the basic storyline for this Pittsburgh-based remake, now titled A man named Ottobut unlike another Hanks film from Pittsburgh, A beautiful day in the area which earned Hanks a supporting Oscar nomination as the kindly mr. Rogers, let the latter keep his star running at full throttle until we inevitably see his transformation into a man with a very big heart. We know it’s coming, and that’s what makes this story so famous. It’s reassuring, and Hanks navigates it with the expert skill you’d expect. It’s nice to see him doing comedy again. It’s a stretch, but it earns its laughs and smiles in a totally believable way, thankfully never forced.

A man named Otto also benefits from a strong supporting cast, especially with a standout performance from Mexican star Mariana Trevino, who plays Marisol, the new neighbor across the street who moves in with a loving husband Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and their two daughters has. She does not take Otto’s grumpiness personally, but invades his life with pure personality, a life that we see him shockingly try to end on several occasions (almost in Harold and Maude-style vignette). It’s clear that Otto Anderson has run this gang as he pleases, but he’s about to meet his own kind, and so is the adorable stray cat who also comes uninvited into his world. That cat, Schmagel, is definitely a scene stealer, but a welcome one.

Forster and Magee also use flashbacks of the younger Otto (played by creepy doppelgänger and Tom’s younger son Truman Hanks) and Sonya (Rachel Keller) as they meet, marry, endure tragedy and share a life. The flashbacks are not intrusive and really add to our understanding of who Otto was and why he may have become the way he is today. The two young stars are well acted here in a film that knows exactly what it is doing to win our hearts. Mike Birbiglia also joins the cast as a real estate agent who plays the “bad guy” type, but his character is pretty one-dimensional.

Matthias Koenigswieser’s fine cinematography perfectly meets the evolving demands of the film’s visual style, Barbara Ling’s production design serves the story well, and there’s a beautiful score by Thomas Newman to match. One song, “Til You’re Home” by Rita Wilson and David Hodges, is a perfect ending touch and is already on the Oscar shortlist.

The reason this American remake is so important, at least to me, is that it is ultimately a story of human connection in a time of unprecedented division and heartlessness in an America that seems truly lost. This is a bit of a throwback to an old Frank Capra ghost in the age of social media, and a family film that serves to remind us of the good in us, no matter how deep you have to dig.

Producers include Hanks, Wilson, Gary Goetzman and the Swedish film’s original producer, Fredrick Wikstrom Nicastro. Sony Pictures will open the Columbia release in a limited edition LA/NY exclusive on Friday ahead of its November 13 launch.