A Man Called Otto [2022] – Tom Hanks, John Higgins

A Man Called Otto has an undeniable warmth and timely message about looking past one’s surface to see the person inside which moves even the most skeptical of moviegoers.

Let’s do a challenge. Name a movie with two actors with great chemistry that has nothing to do with romance. I’ll wait because you can’t.

Yes, not everyone is a fan of Tom Hanks, but Hanks and Mariana Treviño deliver an exceptional performance together and make this English-language remake worth watching. Hanks is perfect for this. He’s playing the grumpiest of grumpy old men, and because it’s Tom Hanks, it has extra power. Tom Hanks is reliably, dependably Tom Hanksy in this feelgood comedy-drama, the newest addition to the “grumpy old guy in need of redemption” genre. Unfortunately, his steady work is almost undone by clunky direction and shoddy, shortcut scripting. The cliched plot about a reformed grumpy old man is so obvious you can see it from outer space.

However, despite the movie’s flaws, what you will take away is a humanizing experience by a group of misfits who are learning that getting along can also be lifesaving.

Should you watch it?

Check all cynicism at the door and allow this movie to tug at your heartstrings with its tried-and-true tune.

Where can I watch it?

A Man Called Otto is now streaming on HBO Max in USA and Crave in Canada.