A Man Called Otto: US remake of the 2015 Swedish comedy “A Man Called Ove. “
Plot and background
After experiencing him as antagonistically inclined manager Col. Parker in 2022’s “Elvis,” Tom Hanks stays true to himself in the tragicomedy “A Man Named Otto,” once again playing a dour character.
“A Man Named Otto” – plot
After first his wife Sonya (Rachel Keller) dies and his employer gives him notice due to old age, Otto (Tom Hanks) wants to retire from life. The grumpy man lives in a single-family housing estate, meticulously observes the rules in the neighbourhood and, thanks to his unfriendly manner, does not have the best standing with his neighbours.
Just as he is about to say goodbye to life with a rope, the new neighbouring family drives up – and rams his letterbox. The chaotic young family, consisting of the quick-witted Marisol (Mariana Treviño), her husband Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and their two daughters, move straight into Otto’s neighbour’s house. With great effort and as if by a miracle, the family and a grey stray cat manage the impossible, melting the heart of the grim neighbour. An unusual friendship develops out of an equally unusual situation.
“A man named Otto” – background, cast
Based on the book of the same name by Fredrick Backman, the Oscar-nominated Swedish film “A Man Named Ove” starring Rolf Lassgård (“A Big Promise”) as the grumpy Ove was released in 2015.
It was already announced in 2017 that Oscar winner Tom Hanks (“Forrest Gump”) would take the lead role as Otto in the US adaptation. Filming began in Pennsylvania in 2022 and continued until the summer. Marc Forster (“World War Z”) has been hired as director, the screenplay is being adapted by David Magee (“The School for Good and Evil”).
In addition to Tom Hanks, the rest of the cast includes Rachel Keller (“Dirty John”), Mariana Treviño (“Overboard”), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (“6 Underground”) and Cameron Britton (“Mindhunter”).
