Film Review: A MAN CALLED OTTO (2022): Tom Hanks Excels in a Truly Moving and Heartwarming Gem of a Film

A Man Called Otto Review

A Man Called Otto (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Marc Forster, written by David Magee and starring Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Truman Hanks, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Christiana Montoya, Alessandra Perez, John Higgins, Mack Bayda, Cameron Britton, Juanita Jennings, Peter Lawson Jones, Max Pavel, Kailey Hyman, Peter Sipla, Allyson R. Hood, Dominick Marrone and Cindy Jackson.

Tom Hanks is in top form in director Marc Forster’s emotional and tremendously satisfying new film, A Man Called Otto. When we first meet Hanks’s aging character in the movie, Otto, he is trying to buy rope from one of those silly types of stores where the assistant manager looks like a high school student and the theme of the store (“Are you a busy beaver?”) feels trite. The clerk won’t measure the rope the correct way for Otto so poor Otto is getting overcharged. Or is Otto just a mean grinch looking to start a fight? As played by Hanks, Otto is sympathetic despite his flawed personality and this is in large part thanks to Hanks’ reliable screen presence. This is one of the actor’s finest lead roles. If I had it my way, he’d be a double Oscar nominee next year with a Best Actor nod for this and a Best Supporting Actor nod for Elvis but the Academy seemingly stopped giving Hanks lead nominations some time back.

Otto’s charismatic neighbors include a jogger named Jimmy (Cameron Britton), Anita (Juanita Jennings) whose husband Reuben (Peter Lawson Jones) is unable to communicate and Malcolm (Mack Bayda) who is a transgender flyer delivery person who rides a bike throughout town. These people pretty much get to know how Otto is these days but when a friendly, determined and married pregnant woman named Marisol (Mariana Treviño) moves into town, things will certainly begin to change for all the characters involved. Otto tries to park Marisol’s husband, Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo)’s vehicle when they first meet and, soon, all these characters’ lives will be affected, including those of Marisol and Tommy’s young daughters, Abbie (Alessandra Perez) and Luna (Christiana Montoya).

The heart of A Man Called Otto is partly in the flashback sequences of the young Otto (Truman Hanks) and the woman who would become his wife, Sonya (Rachel Keller). Otto was once a young man trying to find a path in his life and when Sonya unknowingly dropped a book at a train station, he was kind enough to return it to her. Otto had to board a train that he didn’t have a ticket for and Sonya helped him pay the fare. Otto goes to pay her back (it’s just under a dollar) and the two begin to date and fall in love. These scenes are exquisite and Hanks and Keller are wonderful at creating the details of the relationship that Otto held onto for many years until tragedy struck–twice. These scenes help us understand why Otto became the way he did.

Otto, it turns out, was buying rope at the hardware store so he could hang himself. Every time he tries to kill himself, though, fate intervenes and Otto learns he has a purpose in his current life that he doesn’t seem to recognize initially. Right after surviving a suicide attempt, he clips a store coupon from some flyers.

The soul of this picture is the wonderful Mariana Treviño who creates one of the most memorable supporting roles of the year here. Marisol challenges Otto to live his life in a more positive way and although Otto isn’t up to the challenge at first, these two characters begin to bond and learn that they aren’t as different as they may have initially seemed. Some viewers will be deeply moved as Otto helps Marisol learn to drive and babysit her kids. There is a great scene where Otto reads a story to her daughters that is the very definition of cute.

There is also a great deal of truth about how senior citizens try to not get taken advantage of in today’s world with a character here looking to get Anita and Reuben out of their home for a profiteering scheme which is illegal in nature. This film is filled with so many realistic scenarios, it truly touches the heart in every way possible. There’s even a neighborhood stray cat who becomes Otto’s friend along the way in a heartwarming scenario in the movie.

Getting back to the scenes between Truman Hanks and Rachel Keller, there is so much to like about these two characters who guide and support each other throughout their difficult decisions and hardships. Sonya was once an inspirational teacher to Malcolm and she genuinely touched the hearts of lives around the town. We understand why her loss in the older Otto’s eyes is such a huge one.

Marc Forster’s movie is truly entertaining throughout with scenes that will have audiences wiping away tears on more than a few instances. Another great subplot is when the older Otto is ready to throw himself on the train tracks and I surely won’t reveal what happens which is so cleverly done that it initiates a social media reporter to come into the premise but I’ve said too much already. The magic of A Man Called Otto is seeing it for yourself.

A Man Called Otto is the amazing picture that it is because of the collaborative effort of many of the actors involved. Tom Hanks carries a lot of the picture on his shoulders in terms of creating a man who is probably just like our next door neighbor, only maybe a little nosier. When Marisol makes him food and brings it to him, it shows Otto that there is good in the world despite all the bad that has happened to him throughout his life. By film’s end, the audience will have a newfound respect for the people around us whose struggles we could sometimes take for granted. This is simply a great movie that should not be missed.

Rating: 10/10

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