Tom Hanks' star power makes 'A Man Called Otto' matter

Director Marc Forster’s “A Man Called Otto” is a test of star power.

No matter how contrived and convoluted this new telling of an old story is, involving a curmudgeon rediscovering his humanity, the real question is whether Tom Hanks — in the titular role — makes the film worth seeing. He does, and will draw an audience who might otherwise shrug their shoulders.

“Otto” is the retelling of the popular book club pick “A Man Called Ove,” adapted back in 2015. Then, it was a Swedish production. Which means there were subtitles and a lead actor who wasn’t Tom Hanks. Clearly something no one outside the arthouse crowd could tolerate. So here we are at the multiplexes.

Although the beats of this story predate “Ove.” It’s the redemption tale of the “get off my lawn” guy. Otto lives in a tightly-hewed Pennsylvania neighborhood where everyone around him is aggressively, quirkily pleasant. Otto too is aggressive, but not quirky or pleasant.

He is precise and methodical, quite like his chosen profession of engineering demands. He suffers fools but only so he can prove they are “idiots,” as he constantly mumbles to no one in particular.

He is not simply grumpy, which is where “Otto” distinguishes itself from other films of its ilk. There’s a genuine mental health crisis going on with our main character, triggered by a series of life changes. The film’s opening scene in a hardware store initially feels like something out of a bad sitcom, but darkens moments later when we learn why Otto needs precisely five feet of rope.

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Otto’s fate will be outside his own hands. Marisol (Mariana Treviño) is a recent transplant to the neighborhood who inserts herself. In these stories, it is always the character from outside who helps the main character find their inner goodness.

She needs help with the house and her kids. Otto, hardwired to find solutions to any problem, sees Marisol as a project before seeing her as a friend. How can he end it all when “dumb” Marisol needs help getting her driver’s license?

There are other characters who chip away at Otto’s rough exterior. One who sticks out is Malcolm (Mack Bayda), a transgender youth who delivers the local paper. While Otto is constantly annoyed by how his paper is indiscriminately flung, he takes an immediately sympathetic view towards Malcolm’s struggles. This feels generously woke given Otto’s reaction to literally everyone else. More about politics than about storyline. A false note that avoids what could be an interesting conflict.

Rest assured, there’s plenty of storyline and conflict to go around. In addition to flashbacks to Otto’s younger, happier days, there’s a plot involving an encroaching condominium development and how malicious real estate foes can only be vanquished if everyone works together. The only thing remotely interesting about this is Forster’s decision to cast dweeby, unassuming comedian Mike Birbiglia as the villain. This doesn’t work but kudos for going against type.

I report all of this out of obligation, for the only thing that really matters about “A Man Called Otto” is Hanks. As he’s aged, producing has taken up his time and I think we forget how good he can be. This summer, Hanks proved he could still surprise by embodying Col. Tom Parker for Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” Perhaps the biggest (and most effective) surprise of the year was making Parker its central character. More surprising was Hanks bringing real menace to the proceedings underneath a goofy accent and prosthetics.

Otto is more predictable for Hanks to take on now that he’s in his mid-sixties. I couldn’t help but think of late-era Henry Fonda while watching him here. There’s something about his eyes that are always working; how they reveal his character’s emotions so vividly. There’s something about his voice that brings a unique cadence to his dialogue. A charm Hanks’ personality infuses into cliches. He’s a star and — for all the revisionist cynicism modern film critics have cast upon classics like “Forrest Gump” — a legend who’s made some of the best films of the past 35 years.

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I could argue Hanks should be doing something more with his talent than “A Man Called Otto,” but he did produce the movie. Suggesting this is what he wants to do or, at least, what he believes his audience wants. While smaller character pieces like this find themselves streaming more than being released in theaters, the film’s success in its limited release suggests there’s an older crowd willing to return to the theaters post-COVID for a movie just like this.

Although I would say they are there to see Hanks do what he does best, regardless of the film itself. They won’t be disappointed.

James Owen is the Tribune’s film columnist. In real life, he is a lawyer and executive director of energy policy group Renew Missouri. A graduate of Drury University and the University of Kansas, he created Filmsnobs.com, where he co-hosts a podcast. He enjoyed an extended stint as an on-air film critic for KY3, the NBC affiliate in Springfield, and now regularly guests on Columbia radio station KFRU.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Tom Hanks' star power makes 'A Man Called Otto' matter