Title - A Man Called Otto
Production - Columbia Pictures, Artistic Films, Playtone
Starring - Tom Hanks, Mariana Trevino, Manual Garcia-Rulfo, Rachel Keller, Cameron Britton, Mack Bayda, Juanita Jennings, Truman Hanks, Kelly Lamor Wilson
Writer - Fredrik Backman, Hannes Holm, David Magee
Director - Marc Forster
Release - 13 January 2023
I'm a bit unsure as to whether this movie officially came out in 2022 or 2023 - but I guess it depends on which territory. It's a concern because I don't know if it should be eligible for the best movies of the year list. Minor issue in life, I know.
I actually kept putting off watching this movie because there was no buzz around it when it came out; and for a Tom Hanks movie, that was either weird or the movie wasn't good. So now I know, it belonged in the "weird" category.
Also, this was a terrible title for the movie. And the trailer did not sell it well, too.
This movie was great and Hanks gave another great (though nothing near his best) performance. And under Marc Forster's direction, every time Hanks' character attempted to commit suicide, it was a humorous situation instead of a dark one. That was no small feat to achieve.
Hanks' character was so relatable for a middle aged man like myself because I truly believe that his general dislike for so many things will be what I am going to become. In other words, I'm going to be like him when I grow up - minus the dead wife part. And for better or worse, it's an early preview into a perspective about life.
But the romance of it all, even with Truman Hanks wooden performance, came through so vividly; thanks in no small part to Rachel Keller. And the soundtrack helped to strum on my heartstrings in a way that I haven't felt for so long. Make no mistake, there was no sweeping romance; but the subject of romance carried over from flashbacks into the present for Otto.
And the way it ended, it was truly apt and also heartwarming. I wouldn't want it any other way.
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