The Big Picture Tom Hanks’ latest crowd-pleaser, A Man Called Otto, takes the viewer on a brutally funny, yet completely sensitive journey into the life of “the grumpiest man in America.” The film is a return to form for Hanks in many ways; while he’s matured into one of the finest dramatic actors of all time, it’s easy to forget that he was once the hilarious comic icon behind classics like Big, Splash, Sleepless in Seattle, and Joe Versus the Volcano.
Director Marc Forster does a great job at grounding his English-language remake in the anxieties of American life today and pays close attention to how immigration, economic inequity, grief, and deceptive real estate practices make it harder to bridge interpersonal relationships within communities. Forster succeeds in nailing the original source material’s emotional resonance with his masterfully crafted conclusion, which is likely to inspire quite a few tears from engaged audiences.
Related 'A Man Called Otto' Shows What It’s Like to Be Poor in America 'A Man Called Otto' subtly calls out the many injustices that the poor in America face. Do Otto and Marisol Stay Friends? Close Despite Otto’s rudeness to Marisol in the beginning, he begins to open up to her more than any of his other neighbors. From the beginning, she tries to charm him by making him food, and he ultimately teaches her how to drive when he realizes that she does not have a license.