A Man Called Otto is beautiful

So, another little revisit – but of a film I didn’t review at the time. A Man Called Ott0 is a 2022 Hollywood remake of a Norwegian film of a Norwegian novel – A Man Called Ove, which was originally penned by Fredrick Backman.

It transposes the story to the US, to a small community, where 63-year-old widower Otto is in deep distress after the death of his wife six months before, and has become a total curmudgeon in the time since.

 

However, his plans to join her are disrupted by the arrival of new neighbours – the joyful and heavily pregnant Marisol, her inept husband Tommy and their two small children.

 

And slowly but sutely but surely, he is drawn back to life.

 

Sometimes I need a life-affirming, sweet (not cloying) film, and I want a great big mug of hot chocolate of a movie to comfort me.

 

This is far from flawless – and some of it feels a bit contrived – but it is also a joy in terms of how humane and emotionally intelligent it is, not least in terms of the impact of trying to deal with grief. It’s also very funny in places.

 

So, while neither Marc Foster’s direction nor David Magee’s screenplay are perfect, Tom Hanks turns in a lovely performance as Otto, and is supported not least by Mariana Treviño as the absolute force of nature that is Marisol.

It’s absolutely up there with my Mrs Harris Goes to Paris comfort movies.