Movie Review: A Man Called Otto (2022)

 

I've seen more interesting heaps of mashed potatoes. Are we even trying anymore? It felt like this movie was written on someone's lunchbreak, after they'd had two Benadryl's. I had to make sure I still had a pulse walking out of the theater. If I hadn't invested $14 on my ticket (and about the same amount on popcorn) I'd have walked out of this film, it was so boring.

It's sad enough to see Tom Hanks playing senior citizens now (is it "sad" actually, or just the passing of time? IDK), but even worse to see him starring in bland, lame, emotionless pieces of crap like this film. He doesn't even really get to be "Tom Hanks" in this movie. And his son (playing Otto as a 20-something, in his flashbacks) clearly did not inherit any of his acting ability, looking most of the time like a transfixed android programmed to the same facial expression of bemused delight (I guess that's what it was). 

Right in time for the Holidays, we have your basic "redemption" story of a grumpy old man who gets his stony heart melted by the plucky neighbors who move in across the street. I yawned in the middle of that sentence, just writing it. 

Among the basic problems in this film is the fact that the "data dump" comes far too late for us to care about Otto. We don't find out why Otto is a grumpy old man until the last quarter of the movie, making it kind of difficult for us to care about him. And when we do find out, the reason isn't quite compelling enough. 

Furthermore, A Man Called Otto is one of those films that just feels like you're watching a movie script unroll. You never once get lost in the world of the film, because the world is too bland and obviously concocted, too sterile. Anyone who's ever seen a movie before in their life can see where the film is headed from the first five minutes.