FALL IN LOVE WITH THE GRUMPIEST MAN IN AMERICA.

Widower Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks) is contemplating suicide, but his attempts are frequently interrupted.

An American remake of the Swedish A Man Called Ove (2015) that gets the job done. Turning the lovable Hanks into a grumpy old man who’s sick of living may be hard to swallow, but he’s a great actor who soon has us caring about Otto’s life. Moving flashback sequences inform us of the great love that used to be reason enough for Otto to live; other moments provide laughs.

The film is also a lovely, timely illustration of the need for communities that believe in looking out for each other.

2022-U.S. 126 min. Color. Directed by Marc Forster. Screenplay: David Magee. Novel: Fredrik Backman (”A Man Called Ove”). Cast: Tom Hanks (Otto Anderson), Mariana Treviño (Marisol), Rachel Keller (Sonya), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Truman Hanks, Mike Birbiglia. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Hanks and Rita Wilson; in flashbacks, the younger Otto is played by their son Truman.