Movie Review: A Man Called Otto

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A lovely comedy/drama. \\

This is a film that rests heavily on its main character. Luckily this character is its strongest asset. Though the character is a very grumpy man and often yells at everyone, he is also a character that it does not take long for us to grow to care for. Why we should care about this character is well set up very early on. You seem him, outwardly act grumpy and rude towards his new neighbors (who will play an important role in the film as a whole) but do nice things for them while acting this way. He helps them park their car and fixes certain things around the house. This little touch simply tells us so much about the character. We can tell that he is very angry and lets this emotion take over, but underneath that he has a good heart and in spite of his anger at the world around him, he simply can't help but to stop and help others. The movie doesn't have any dialogue directly stating this about him, but anyone watching can easily pick up on that and that is an example of well-done filmmaking. Unlike many lesser films that explore similar characters, this movie understands the idea of showing instead of telling and that makes it all the more effective and makes the character all the more real. Of course, this character's likability is helped by having the great Tom Hanks in the role. Tom is a true movie star with a charm and relatability in each of his roles that always seems completely natural. Because of the character is even likable and charming in his angriest moments. Yet he is not the only one who shines in this cast. Mariana Treviño is truly wonderful as one of his neighbors across the street. She also brings a sheer amount of likability and charisma to this character that makes it so she steals nearly every scene that she is in. 

One of the best things about this movie however is how well it balances the comedy and the drama. While this is often a really funny movie, it also has no fear to go into darker and more serious places. This film deals with our main character's pain after losing his wife and multiple suicide attempts from him due to this pain. This may seem like heavy stuff for what is supposed to be a feel-good film, but that is just why it works. To be able to find joy in the midst of great pain is a powerful thing and that is what this movie provides. Despite being a feel-good film, it never trivializes or tones down these darker moments and that makes the feel-good moments all the more effective. The use of comedy also helps immensely as it helps us through these darker moments. At the same time the humor works well because it is wonderfully worked into the drama. The humor often comes from the main character's grumpiness and various remarks about what is wrong with the world around him. As funny as these moments are they are also character moments that come directly from the emotional place this character is in. Therefore it does not feel abrupt when the tone switches from comedic to dramatic (or the other way around), because both the comedy and the drama come from exactly the same place. 

If I had a complaint about this movie it would be that the side characters are often very one note, but this feels like a small complaint as it never affected my enjoyment or emotional involvement with the film. 

A true delight.