A Man Called Otto, directed by Marc Forster, is the second on-screen adaptation of a 2012 Swedish novel titled A Man Called Ove, the first being a 2015 Swedish film by the same name as the book. I had never heard of the novel or the first film, so I had no expectations based on its predecessors. Tom Hanks has been on a steep decline with his past few films and/or performances though so I was not very excited to sit through this one. I, unfortunately, was correct in my judgment. Hanks actually puts in a solid performance here, it’s the rest of the movie I take issue with.
It’s very possible to pull off drama and comedy in the same movie. It’s so commonly done that the word “dramedy” is a word in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. This movie seems to make it an impossible task, however. The tone is constantly changing abruptly and it makes for a very disruptive experience. The new neighbors are the main culprits for this. They’re a culmination of goofy family stereotypes, have no chemistry with anyone, and none of them can act, at least comedically. This would’ve been better if it fully leaned into one of its two genres since it was so poor at melding the two into a coherent piece. The dramatic portions were generally better than the comedic bits and should’ve been the focus.
A Man Called Otto was especially frustrating to watch because the foundation was there for a great movie. This could’ve been a thoughtful film about a severely depressed older man, still grieving the loss of his wife and somewhat forced into retirement, who regains purpose in life. There were also some anti-capitalist themes shoehorned in a scene at the end but they were so surface level, under-developed, and out of nowhere that it felt jarring. The plot in the scene I’m referencing easily could’ve been the narrative of the whole movie and, if done correctly in combination with the depressed senior citizen motif, would have made for a truly powerful film.
Final Thoughts
The novel and original adaptation might follow the same story as this movie does, in which case my critiques apply to them as well. It truly is unfortunate though, that this is the product we got, when the framework for a gutting contemplation on capitalism and old age was clearly there.
