The story presented in A Man Called Otto raises questions about whether the movie is based on a true story. The narrative of the 2022 comedy-drama hit follows an older man, Otto, played by Hanks, who is humorously grumpy and set in his ways. In the movie, Hanks' character is depicted as a person who has given up on life and often complains about how just about everything, from cars to people, used to be better years ago.
The highly successful A Man Called Otto movie weaves an uplifting story that sees its titular protagonist walk with a cloud above his head. Of course, that changes when a new family moves in across the street and challenges him to act with kindness and humility. Containing no fantasy elements of any kind and driven by realistic plot developments, the journey experienced by Otto in the movie comes across as something that could easily have happened in real life.
RELATED:A Man Called Otto Ending Explained (In Detail)
A Man Called Otto Isn't A True Story
While it may seem like it could be about real-life events, A Man Called Otto isn't actually a true story, nor is it even based on one. The film is actually a remake of a 2015 Swedish movie called A Man Called Ove, directed by Hannes Holm and starring Rolf Lassgård as its grouchy protagonist. Its screenplay was adapted from the 2012 novel of the same name written by Backman. Backman completely made up all the events in the story that happen to the main character. He began by writing blog posts about the fictitious Ove in a column he called "I Am A Man Called Ove" during the 2000s. He used the character as a catalyst to express many of his personal frustrations and annoyances he had found in his own life.
The Real-Life Inspiration Behind A Man Called Otto
Backman had known of a man in real life named Ove who carried a similar pessimistic attitude and short-tempered demeanor as the Otto depicted in the 2023 movie. However, both Ove's and Otto's stories are completely fictitious and original, having nothing to do with the true events of the real Ove's actual life. Backman had never even met the real Ove before creating the character. He heard about him from a fellow writer who had witnessed one of Ove's public outbursts and wrote a blog post about the incident. As Beckman continued to write his blog posts, he began to realize he had a robust character to write a novel about.
RELATED: Tom Hanks' New Movie Finally Moves Him Into His Clint Eastwood Phase
According to Hanks, he was drawn to the grouchy character because of the story's "universal" appeal, hence why he thought the Swedish film was deserving of an American adaptation (via Collider). As Hanks points out, the loneliness felt by Otto and need to belong to a community is a natural "human condition." Otto's story may not be true, but the powerful and inspiring points of A Man Called Otto feel relevant regardless.
