Tom Hanks is credible in worse neighbor in the world (critic)

The story of an “old, moaning and suicidal” type produced by Marc Forster (Neverland, World War Z).

With this film released in the cinema in early 2023, Tom Hanks Would he be trying to break his image as the nicest star of Hollywood? In The worst neighbor in the world in VF (A Man Called Otto In VO), he plays Otto, a man who does not want you good, in the adaptation of the Swedish novel Old, mooring and suicidal: life according to ove (by Fredrik Backman, published in 2012). A first cinematographic version, Mr. OVEproduced by the Swedish Hannes Holm in 2015, had been appointed to the Oscars in the best foreign film category. It is therefore the American remake that arrives this Sunday in clear Sunday on TF1.

The worst neighbor in the worldedirected by Marc Forster and with also Rachel Keller and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, had not convinced the editorial staff, even if his main actor is still very fair. Here is our criticism:

“Old, mooring and suicidal: life according to ove”the title of the novel by Fredrik Bakman at the base of the Swedish film Mr Ove (appointed to the Oscar of the foreign film 2016) – of which this Worse neighbor of the world is a remake – says everything about his central character. Otto, a widower who does not recover from the death of his wife and has since only the only occupation what to make calm and a certain order in the neighborhood where he lives, while waiting for death. The Size XXL Breeder who has everything to be hated but that – SPOILER quickly stretched – we will spend two hours to learn to love when his daily lonely daily and his various suicide attempts will be constantly interrupted by his new neighbors, with overflowing and contagious energy.

Finding the taste of life by helping its neighbor is the common thread of this feel good movie Depressive, sinning by its cruel lack of surprises and the flatness of the realization of Marc Forster but which however manages to avoid any cute ease. Thanks to the scenario of David Magee (Neverland From the same Forster) which encapsulates in this district of Pittsburgh a good part of what constitutes the heart of the division of post-Trump America (distrust of foreigners, wearing of arms, perverse effects of exacerbated king liberalism like never …). But also and above all thanks to Tom Hanks, capable, in his interpretation, to distill without looking at these nuances that the story tends to erase. We like to hate as much as to adore his otto. Why sulk his pleasure?

Tom Hanks: “I have played a lot of ordinary characters who have nothing special, probably because I am not myself”