Otto (Tom Hanks) is a grumpy old man who is bitterly rude to everyone, especially those who do not adhere to the strict routines and rules of the neighbourhood he lives in. Following the recent death of his wife he has decided not to stay on this mortal coil any longer but his attempted suicide is interrupted by a new neighbour. A heavily pregnant Marisol (Mariana Treviño) and her brood slowly but surely build a friendship with Otto that changes his life. 

A Man Called Otto is a thoroughly predictable film with nothing overtly special about it. But it is also the sort of crowd pleasing movie that will have everyone laughing and crying throughout. 

The storyline is preposterously unlikely and I know from experience. If you have an elderly neighbour who goes out of his way to be rude and abrupt to everyone on the street the other residents do not continue to befriend him and unlock their heart of gold. They ignore them and stay out of their way. But of course this particular neighbour is played by Tom Hanks. Forever dependable and as previously stated, we all know that secretly he is a good guy inside. 

The film plays out alternating between flashbacks of Otto’s life as a young man, the older Otto being interrupted in his latest suicide attempt and the various members of the neighbourhood befriending him, whilst an evil real estate company attempt to buy up the homes of the residents to turn into condos. The flashback scenes feature Hanks real life son Truman as the younger Otto alongside Rachel Keller as his wife Sonya. These scenes are a rose tinted view of his perfect wife and show why he misses her so. The repeated attempted suicides have the kind of black humour of Groundhog Day and the various storylines with his neighbours begin to show that Otto is a nice guy at heart. 

Marc Forster is a dependable director who has flirted back and forth between action (Quantum of Solace and World War Z) and this exact brand of heart warming drama (Finding Neverland and Christopher Robin). A Man Called Otto is no exception. You will thoroughly enjoy it and then completely forget it until the next time you stumble across it. 

A heart warming feature.