Living in a house on a closed-off oval of a street, Otto is not just his neighborhood association's resident crank, he's its unofficial watchdog for everything from vehicle rules to animal control to basically whatever irritates him.
Newly jobless as a forced retiree from the auto plant, believably friendless, and a widower of many months, Otto approaches his various attempts at suicide with procedural efficiency, only to be interrupted unwittingly by the newest move-ins, a kind, spirited young family of four led by sharp-tongued, pregnant Marisol.
Having never saw the original source material, and fearing that Hollywood were just being lazy, I had trepidation when going to see this. Was it a gimmick to cast Hanks a grumpy man, after all, he's the nicest man on the planet....
How wrong I was, as I found this film to be captivating and emotionally draining from the upstart. Hanks is wonderful as the 'I can't stay angry for long' titular character, and although he has a very stand offish persona, his back story is sad, and you realise quite quickly why he has a problem with the world. He dislikes the situation, not necessarily the people around him.
When Marisol arrives, the film becomes effervescent, and like the audience, Otto cannot help but be drawn in by this wonderful, loving person, no matter how hard he tries.
But this film carries a very dark side to it, and as the film progresses, you realise that Otto has given up, and the fact that he is emotionless to this fact, makes the film that little more bittersweet. He helps people, and then he helps them some more, but the air of his suicide is still evident in the narrative and the overall feel of the film.
The flashbacks are both truly beautiful and harrowing, and I must admit, I was brought to tears several times during the film. If, by way of the trailer, you think this is grumpy Hanks playing it for laughs, you'll be in for a shock, because this is not that film. There are some funny moments, but it's not an out and out comedy, it's so much more than that.
What a great start to the year.....
Newly jobless as a forced retiree from the auto plant, believably friendless, and a widower of many months, Otto approaches his various attempts at suicide with procedural efficiency, only to be interrupted unwittingly by the newest move-ins, a kind, spirited young family of four led by sharp-tongued, pregnant Marisol.
Having never saw the original source material, and fearing that Hollywood were just being lazy, I had trepidation when going to see this. Was it a gimmick to cast Hanks a grumpy man, after all, he's the nicest man on the planet....
How wrong I was, as I found this film to be captivating and emotionally draining from the upstart. Hanks is wonderful as the 'I can't stay angry for long' titular character, and although he has a very stand offish persona, his back story is sad, and you realise quite quickly why he has a problem with the world. He dislikes the situation, not necessarily the people around him.
When Marisol arrives, the film becomes effervescent, and like the audience, Otto cannot help but be drawn in by this wonderful, loving person, no matter how hard he tries.
But this film carries a very dark side to it, and as the film progresses, you realise that Otto has given up, and the fact that he is emotionless to this fact, makes the film that little more bittersweet. He helps people, and then he helps them some more, but the air of his suicide is still evident in the narrative and the overall feel of the film.
The flashbacks are both truly beautiful and harrowing, and I must admit, I was brought to tears several times during the film. If, by way of the trailer, you think this is grumpy Hanks playing it for laughs, you'll be in for a shock, because this is not that film. There are some funny moments, but it's not an out and out comedy, it's so much more than that.
What a great start to the year.....