A Man Called Otto | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Marc Forster |
Screenplay by | David Magee |
Based on |
|
Produced by | |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Matthias Königswieser |
Edited by | Matt Chessé |
Music by | Thomas Newman |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 126 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $50 million |
Box office | $113.2 million [1] |
A Man Called Otto is a 2022 American comedy-drama film directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by David Magee. It is a remake of the 2015 Swedish film A Man Called Ove , which was based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Fredrik Backman. The film stars Tom Hanks in the title role, with Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in supporting roles. The plot follows a bitter old man who reluctantly gets involved in the lives of his neighbors.
A Man Called Otto began a limited theatrical release on December 29, 2022, before a wide release in the United States on January 13, 2023, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $113 million worldwide against a $50 million production budget.
Otto Anderson is a 63-year-old widower, living in a rowhouse in suburban Pittsburgh. Six months after losing his wife Sonya, a schoolteacher, Otto has become a cynical, fastidious crank. Pushed into retirement from his job at a steel plant, he cancels his utilities and plans to kill himself to join his late wife.
Preparing to hang himself, Otto is interrupted by the arrival of new neighbors: pregnant Marisol, her husband Tommy, and their daughters Abby and Luna, who try to befriend him. When he attempts suicide, the noose collapses from the ceiling, so he visits Sonya's grave, and has flashbacks to their past: as a young man, he was rejected from the army due to his hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and met Sonya on a train, where she lent him a 1964 silver quarter he has kept ever since.
Otto helps his neighbor Anita with her radiators, despite holding a grudge against her husband Reuben, a non-responsive stroke survivor. Otto attempts suicide again via carbon monoxide poisoning in his garage, thinking back on his and Sonya's courtship, but he is interrupted by Marisol when Tommy breaks his leg after borrowing Otto's ladder. Otto reluctantly drives Marisol and the children to the hospital, where he assaults a clown for taking his special quarter during a magic trick.
While waiting on a train platform for another suicide attempt, Otto remembers his graduation from engineering school, when he asked Sonya to marry him. He saves an older man who fell onto the tracks and lets himself be pulled to safety at the last second. When his allergic neighbor Jimmy rescues a stray cat, Otto reluctantly adopts it. He confronts a teenager named Malcolm for delivering unwanted advertising circulars, and the boy recognizes Otto as his former teacher's husband, recounting that Sonya supported him as a transgender student.
Annoyed by Marisol's inability to drive, Otto gives her lessons. They visit Sonya's favorite bakery, where Otto explains that Anita and Sonya were best friends, but he and Reuben grew apart over rivalries and trivialities such as loyalties to different car manufacturers, culminating in Reuben's "coup" replacing Otto as chair of the neighborhood association. Otto babysits Abby and Luna while Marisol and Tommy spend a night out together, and befriends Malcolm, helping to fix his bicycle.
Otto dodges social media journalist Sharie Kenzie after a video of the incident at the train station goes viral. Unwilling to come to terms with Sonya's death, Otto lashes out at Marisol and an agent for Dye & Merika, a real estate company trying to buy up the neighborhood. He prepares to commit suicide by shotgun, remembering the bus crash on a romantic trip to Niagara Falls that caused a pregnant Sonya to lose her baby and become a paraplegic. Malcolm, who was kicked out by his father, knocks on the door, and Otto lets him stay the night.
Otto learns that Dye & Merika are conspiring with the estranged son of Reuben and Anita. They are leveraging Anita's secret Parkinson's diagnosis to buy their house and put Reuben in their nursing home. He resolves to fight them and asks for Marisol's help, finally explaining Sonya's stillbirth and disability, his frustration at the inaccessibility of the Dye & Merika housing development, and how he was voted out as association chair after a heated confrontation with the company. When Dye & Merika staff arrive to take Reuben, the neighbors band together to stop them, with Kenzie exposing their illegal access to Anita and Otto's medical records.
Otto collapses and he is taken to the hospital, identifying Marisol as his next of kin. She is amused to learn "his heart is too big", then goes into labor and gives birth to a son, Marco. Otto gives Marisol and Tommy the cradle he built when Sonya was pregnant, gives his car to Malcolm, and grows closer to his neighbors.
Three years later, following a snowfall, Tommy notices Otto has not shoveled his walkway as he normally would. He and Marisol enter his house and find that Otto has died of heart failure. They also find a letter to Marisol bequeathing his home, savings, new truck, and cat. Following his wishes for a funeral, the neighbors gather to remember Otto.
In addition, Christiana Montoya and Alessandra Perez appear as Luna and Abby, respectively. John Higgins appears as a store clerk. [2]
In September 2017, it was announced that Tom Hanks would star in an English-language adaptation of the 2015 Swedish film, A Man Called Ove , and would also produce alongside Playtone partner Gary Goetzman, wife Rita Wilson, and Fredrik Wikström Nicastro of SF Studios. [3] Marc Forster was confirmed as the film's director in January 2022, with David Magee writing the screenplay. [4] On February 10, 2022, it was announced that Sony Pictures pre-bought the rights to the film for around US$60 million at the European Film Market. [5]
Filming began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in February 2022 [6] [7] and wrapped up in three months later in May. [8] [9]
Thomas Newman composed the film's score. The soundtrack album was released by Decca Records on December 30, 2022. [10] [11] The album also features the single "Til You're Home" by Rita Wilson and Sebastián Yatra, which was released on December 2, 2022, [10] and was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. [12] Chet Hanks's song White Boy Summer appears in a brief scene. [13]
The film began limited theatrical release in New York City and Los Angeles on December 29, 2022, before a wide release in the United States on January 13, 2023, by Sony Pictures Releasing. [1] [14] It was originally set for a wide release on December 25, 2022, [15] [16] then moved up to December 14, 2022, before moving to its current date. [17]
The film was released through video on demand on February 28, 2023. It was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 14, 2023. [18] [19] The film was released on Netflix in the United States on May 6, 2023. [20] Disney signed a "pay two window" deal with Sony in April 2021 which also included A Man Called Otto. [21]
A Man Called Otto grossed $64.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $48.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $113.1 million, [1] against a budget of $50 million. [6]
A Man Called Otto grossed $60,000 at four Los Angeles and New York theaters on its opening three-day weekend. [22] It expanded to 637 theaters the following weekend, making $4.2 million and finishing in fourth. [23] In its third weekend the film made $12.7 million after expanding to 3,802 theaters, surpassing its $8 million projections and remaining in fourth. [24] It then made $8.8 million in its fourth weekend, finishing fifth. [25]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 69% of 208 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10.The website's consensus reads: "Check all cynicism at the door and allow A Man Called Otto to tug at your heartstrings with its tried-and-true tune — it just might sing." [26] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [27] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. [24]
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Hanks's films have grossed more than $4.9 billion in North America and more than $9.96 billion worldwide, making him the fourth-highest-grossing actor in North America. He has received numerous honors including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2014, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honor both in 2016, as well as the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2020.
Margarita Wilson Hanks is an American actress, singer, and producer. Her film appearances include Volunteers (1985), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Now and Then (1995), That Thing You Do! (1996), Jingle All the Way (1996), The Story of Us (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), It's Complicated (2009), and Larry Crowne (2011), and she appeared in the television series The Good Wife and Girls. Wilson has performed on Broadway and produced several films, including My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). As a singer-songwriter, Wilson has released the albums AM/FM, Rita Wilson, Bigger Picture, and Halfway to Home. In March 2019, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Marc Forster is a German-Swiss film director, producer and writer. He is best known for directing the feature films Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction, Quantum of Solace, World War Z, and Christopher Robin, and has directed numerous television commercials as well. He is a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Award nominee.
David Magee is an American screenwriter who was nominated for a 2004 Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Finding Neverland. Along with Simon Beaufoy, he wrote the screenplay for Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day starring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams, which was released in 2008.
Inferno is a 2016 American action mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard and written by David Koepp, loosely based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Dan Brown. It is the sequel to The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Angels & Demons (2009), and is the third and final film in the Robert Langdon film series. It stars Tom Hanks, reprising his role as Robert Langdon, alongside Felicity Jones as Dr. Sienna Brooks, Omar Sy, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Ben Foster, and Irrfan Khan.
The Equalizer 2 is a 2018 American vigilante action-thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua. It is the sequel to the 2014 film The Equalizer, which was based on the TV series of the same name, as well as the second installment of The Equalizer trilogy. The film stars Denzel Washington in the lead role, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Melissa Leo, Bill Pullman, and Orson Bean in his final film role. It follows ex-Marine and retired DIA officer Robert McCall as he sets out on a path of revenge after one of his friends is murdered. The film is the fourth collaboration between Washington and Fuqua, following Training Day (2001), The Equalizer (2014), and The Magnificent Seven (2016), and marks the first time Washington has starred in a sequel to one of his films.
A Man Called Ove is a 2015 Swedish comedy-drama film written and directed by Hannes Holm and based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Fredrik Backman. It stars Rolf Lassgård in the title role.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is a 2021 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. It stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man alongside Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire. In the film, Parker asks Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) to use magic to make his identity as Spider-Man a secret again after this was revealed to the world at the end of Far From Home. When the spell goes wrong because of Parker's actions, the multiverse is broken open and visitors from alternate realities are brought into Parker's universe.
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the films are based on various Marvel Comics characters and properties commonly associated with Spider-Man.
Venom is a 2018 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character of the same name, produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Tencent Pictures, Marvel, Arad Productions, Matt Tolmach Productions, and Pascal Pictures, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The first film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), it was directed by Ruben Fleischer from a screenplay by the writing team of Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg, along with Kelly Marcel. It stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom alongside Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, and Reid Scott. In the film, struggling journalist Eddie gains superpowers after becoming the host of an alien symbiote, Venom, whose species plans to invade Earth.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a 2019 American biographical drama film on the TV presenter Fred Rogers, directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, inspired by the 1998 article "Can You Say ... Hero?" by Tom Junod, published in Esquire. It stars Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Chris Cooper. It depicts Lloyd Vogel (Rhys), a troubled journalist for Esquire who is assigned to profile television icon Fred Rogers (Hanks).
Greyhound is a 2020 American war film directed by Aaron Schneider and starring Tom Hanks, who also wrote the screenplay. The film is based on the 1955 novel The Good Shepherd by C. S. Forester, and follows a US Navy commander on his first assignment commanding a multi-national escort destroyer group of four, defending an Allied convoy from U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic. The film also stars Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, and Elisabeth Shue.
Kraven the Hunter is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment, Arad Productions, and Matt Tolmach Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is intended to be the sixth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The film was directed by J. C. Chandor from a screenplay by Richard Wenk and the writing team of Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. It stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the title role alongside Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe.
Elvis is a 2022 epic biographical drama film co-produced and directed by Baz Luhrmann, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner. It chronicles the life of the American rock and roll singer and actor Elvis Presley under the management of Colonel Tom Parker. It stars Austin Butler and Tom Hanks as Presley and Parker, respectively, with Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Luke Bracey in supporting roles.
Madame Web is a 2024 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Columbia Pictures and Di Bonaventura Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment and TSG Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the fourth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). Directed by S. J. Clarkson from a screenplay she co-wrote with Claire Parker and the writing team of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, it stars Dakota Johnson in the title role, alongside Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O'Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott. In the film, the origin story of Cassie Webb (Johnson) is explored as she confronts her past while trying to save three young women from Ezekiel Sims (Rahim), who wants to kill them before they become Spider-Women in the future and kill him.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is a 2022 American live-action/computer-animated musical fantasy comedy film directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon from a screenplay by William Davies. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Eagle Pictures and TSG Entertainment II, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is an adaptation of the children's story of the same name and its predecessor The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber. The plot focuses on a family who moves to New York City, where their struggling son befriends a crocodile, Lyle, who can communicate verbally only by singing. The son tries to protect Lyle from the rest of the world. The film stars Shawn Mendes as Lyle's voice, alongside Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Winslow Fegley, Scoot McNairy, Brett Gelman, and Ego Nwodim.
Here is an upcoming American romantic science fiction comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay he co-wrote with Eric Roth. It is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Richard McGuire. The film stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, and Kelly Reilly. It reunites Hanks and Wright, as well as Zemeckis and Roth together, for the first time in thirty years after the release of Forrest Gump in 1994.
The acquisition furthers the studio's relationship with Hanks, whose A Man Called Otto just wrapped production.