In a Man Called Otto, Tom Hanks plays a guy one Gran Torino away from pulling out a shotgun and telling people to get off his lawn. But it’s not that movie… it’s a more sensitive and less gritty film about a curmudgeons who spends his life grunting at the world.

A curmudgeons played by Good Guy Tom Hanks. In a year where he’s played an unconvincing Geppetto and a questionable Colonel Tom Parker, perhaps the biggest stretch he must make is convincing the audience he’s a mean old man.

But of course his heart isn’t made of stone and of course he warms to his crazy neighbors. Because this is a sweet little film that probably has too long of an ending, but means well and is quite sweet. Tom Hanks does a decent enough job but he’s miscast as a grump. And Tom Hanks is a lot of things, but a movie star who plays an unforgivable misanthrope is not one of them. He’s has too many years of Good Guy Hanks to convince he’s made an actual heel turn.

But hand-wave that away and the movie works pretty well. I liked all the side characters and enjoyed how Hanks interacts with them. I especially loved Mariana Trevino as the pregnant immigrant neighbor who Hanks gives a wonderful pep talk to in one of the best scenes of the movie.

I didn’t come away with it as moved and enlightened as they wanted. It’s a fine, good-hearted film, but there’s something about the pacing and tone that keeps it from greatness. But it’s still a fine watch even if you have to wrap yourself into a pretzel to see Tom Hanks as a Grumpy Gus.

Score: 76