A MAN CALLED OTTO
★★★
OUT NOW / CERT 15 / 126 MINS
DIRECTOR Marc Forster
CAST Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
This adaptation of the Swedish film A Man Called Ove (itself adapted from the novel of the same name) is a very Scandinavian brand of feel-goodery: one which sees its hero regularly try to kill himself. Tom Hanks — last seen this grouchy when announcing there was no crying in baseball — plays Otto, a misanthropic widower ready to give up on life. When new neighbours move in across the street, his cold heart slowly begins to thaw. Despite its sharper edges, this film doesn’t quite avoid sugary clichés. But a typically excellent Hanks lead performance — grumpy yet good-hearted — plus a star-making turn from Mexican actor Mariana Treviño as Otto’s neighbour ensure a very watchable take on the ‘giving life another shot’ subgenre.