A Man Called Otto (Limited Release 1/6/23, Wide Release 1/13/23)

First off, bring a tissue. Secondly, I was the youngest person in the theatre by at least 20 years and I'm 28 at the time of writing. Now for the actual review. This movie explored grief in a bit more of a raw way. Otto is a grumpy man who lost his wife. To him, nothing in life mattered before or after she played her part in his life. She was the only thing that mattered to him. It is a beautiful film that uses flashbacks to slowly show the backstory of Otto and his becoming who he is with his love at his side every step of the way. The characters each brought charm and felt like that oddball neighborhood that you can't help but love. While this is definitely geared towards an older audience, there were definitely moments that I connected with on a personal level. Honestly, my only gripe was the two-hour runtime felt like two hours. Definitely could have felt longer, but a story-based film is allowed to take its time and focus on the characters. Just give the film a watch. Tom Hanks never disappoints.

Story - 18%

Characters - 18%

Pacing - 15%

Spectacle - 18%

Entertainment - 19%

Total score: 88%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here