A Man Called Otto Reviews
Dave Giannini InSession Film
A Man Called Otto is not a waste of time by any stretch, but it also does not demand your attention in any strong measure.
Full Review | Original Score: C | Feb 28, 2024
Ilan Preskovsky Channel24 (South Africa)
I did occasionally find it just a bit too pat and too contrived to melt my more critical lens entirely, but it won me over with its nicely handled comedic touches, lovely performances, and both its clear-eyed positivity and its shamelessly huge heart.
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 31, 2023
Matthew Creith Matinee With Matt
If not for Tom Hanks, "A Man Called Otto" might be a boring tale of one grumpy man's perseverance against the elements trying to take him down. But it's because of Hanks that the film succeeds.
Full Review | Jul 25, 2023
Emma-Jane Betts The Digital Fix
The drama movie is touching but never truly remarkable.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 25, 2023
Yasser Medina Cinefilia
Despite having a somewhat interesting start with the presence of Hanks as the unfriendly neighbor, it is a remake that loses the desired dramatic effect by sometimes going down the route of calculated poignancy. [Full review in Spanish]
Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | May 19, 2023
Quinton Roberts Pop Culture Leftovers
Tom Hanks was an absolute blast to watch on screen, and his interaction with his co-stars were some of my favorite scenes in the movie. He commanded the screen with his betrayal of Otto.
Full Review | Apr 29, 2023
Dan Buffa Ramble On With Buffa (Substack)
It proves again, the everyman of the movies, can play any mood or soul. The movie is patient, and a special shoutout to Mariana Trevino for taking a slightly underwritten role and giving it depth.
Full Review | Original Score: B | Apr 27, 2023
Susan Granger SSG Syndicate
Subtle, sincerely redemptive comedic drama...Tom Hanks delivers a carefully modulated, understated performance, as does his 'real-life' son Truman, but the script tends to be overly melodramatic.
Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Apr 6, 2023
Whang Yee Ling The Straits Times (Singapore)
The director is Marc Forster of Monster's Ball. For sure, his saccharine movie is not hard to like, if only because he is a pro at manipulating heartstrings and Hanks cannot help but be affable, however ill-suited for his role here.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 23, 2023
Al Alexander The Patriot Ledger
Tom Hanks gets in touch with his inner Larry David as the curmudgeonly sexegenarian at the heart of Marc Forster’s lukewarm English-language remake of Hannes Holm’s Oscar-nominated “A Man Called Ova.”
Full Review | Original Score: B- | Mar 13, 2023
Edward Porter Sunday Times (UK)
With Hanks as its star, Marc Forster’s safe Hollywood remake is all the more predictable.
Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 2, 2023
John Serba Decider
A Man Called Otto is mechanically engineered for maximum lachrymosal extraction.
Full Review | Feb 28, 2023
Amber Wilkinson Eye for Film
Tom Hanks is trying to channel his inner Clint Eastwood for this US adaptation of Fredrik Bachman’s Swedish best-seller - the problem is, he simply isn’t grouchy enough
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 26, 2023
Erik Childress Movie Madness Podcast
A film that gets by thanks to Hanks' unwavering watchability though there's not a beat or a revelation we haven't seen before and taking its biggest emotional cue directly from She's Having a Baby is an annoyingly misguided choice.
Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Feb 16, 2023
Ed Potton Times (UK)
This slice of superior schmaltz has Tom Hanks as a fastidious late-middle-aged grump who hates everyone, from overcharging shop assistants to neighbours who put their recycling in the wrong bin.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 15, 2023
Nandini Ramnath Scroll.in
Tom Hanks does his best to look mean, but his inherent affability never fails to shine through. Otto discovers to his disgust that there is no avoiding mushiness.
Full Review | Feb 11, 2023
Lynn Venhaus PopLifeSTL.com...Presents
With a terrific supporting cast – Mariana Trevino is the MVP of this journey, and she’s a force of nature as the kind neighbor Marisol. Without her as a counterpart, this would be a difficult, one-note story.
Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Feb 3, 2023
Cory Woodroof 615 Film
It’s the kind of schmaltzy, big performance studio drama that used to get a billion Oscar nominations, and darn it, I kind of miss those being in vogue.
Full Review | Feb 2, 2023
Julia Swift My Champlain Valley
A sweet story of the power of community to bring someone back from the brink of suicide. A film like this depends on the performances - and here there are some weak links and some standout performances.
Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 1, 2023
Matt Neal ABC Radio (Australia)
A predictable tear-jerker made no less enjoyable or heartfelt by its predictability.
Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 31, 2023