 Welcome back to Think Tech. I'm Jay Fiedel. This is movies we can learn from. And today we're going to review George Kasin, my co-host and me. We're going to review A Man Called Otto. This is an extraordinary movie. Maybe the best thing that Tom Hanks has done, and he had done a lot of extraordinary movies, as you know. Well, George, this has been a movie we have been waiting to review. I've seen this movie more than once. It is fascinating to me. And it is really remarkable. But before we start, I just want to tell you that on YouTube right now today, there is an interview between Ari Melber and Tom Hanks. And it's about, you know, Tom Hanks and all his movies and his approach to life. And I think that one comment he made which stuck with me and still does, sort of explains his performance, his interpretation of this role. He said, no matter what, he will not take a role that calls for him to be cynical. He will not be cynical. And he says no. He has always said no to movies that make that demand of him. This movie was not cynical at all. This movie was a beautiful thing, I thought. But let me ask you it to tell our viewers, what's the environment of this movie? Who are we talking about? Where are we talking about? What is going on in the neighborhood? Luke Holler, row house he's living in, in Pittsburgh, at Sullivan. And he's just, in the movie it shows his retirement, he was like a supervisor in a steel plant in Pittsburgh. And he's recently lost his wife, she's passed away. So he's alone in the house, right, in the row house, right? And he's very unhappy. And, you know, we can get into the story of what happened to him and her, you know, before this. But he's not happy and he's contemplating suicide. And he tries suicide a few times. And luckily, these, this couple moves into the neighborhood and one of his neighbors, Hispanic couple. And the wife is really happy and good hearted and whatever, and wants to make friends with the neighbor, like we all, you know, want to make friends with our neighbors. So he's attempting suicide a number of times in the movie. And she, always something comes up to prevent him from doing this three or four times is trying to commit suicide. Because he's really misses his wife who passed away. And they didn't have, they were going to have a kid. And then there was this very bad accident in Niagara Falls, where she not only lost the child in this carriage, but also she became paralyzed from the waist down. So, you know, she lived for a number of years, she still, she was still teaching school in Pittsburgh, you know, so she, he still had his companion companionship with him. But after he, she died, he also said in the movie, I forgot who he told it to, that there was nothing in my life before she came into my life. And there's nothing left in my life. So there's nothing to live for me, he just felt there's nothing to live for. So lo and behold, that's a term I use a lot, this Marisol, this Hispanic wife of the couple, she gets him to sort of think about life again, as even though his heart is dead, you know, and she's such a bubbly, bubbly person, you know, and her husband's a nice guy, you know, so the two of them sort of bring him back from wanting to commit suicide. And there's these other players, there's this other couple, an African American couple, that he was very close with the husband, Ruben. They talk about silly things to break up a friendship. He liked Chevy's and Ruben liked Ford's and later bought a Toyota. So for this reason, we're talking about petty, petty stuff. So Otto doesn't like him anymore. And then also, Otto, because the developers are buying up all the properties around this one street, right? So they can no longer get emergency vehicles like handyman into there. So they, so Sonya has a problem, you know, getting home and going to her school till she can teach, right? So the community association, because he makes a big stink, right? They replace him. And Ruben's, I think Ruben sided with the others because he thought Otto was, you know, making the stink so that their friendship broke up. So lo and behold, what happens again, is as Otto starts to live life again and starts to think, you know, he's always concerned about other people, right? He's only not concerned about himself. And one of the suicides he was going to do, I'm trying to think which of the three, I think was the third one, this old man falls on the tracks, right? Otto was ready to jump in front of a train. This old man falls on the tracks and Otto goes down and saves the guy, you know, holds the guest, the guy up back on the platform, right? And then the train's coming and somebody gives him his hand and Otto decides maybe he doesn't really want to die. So he pulls him back, right? And the other time he hangs this thing on his ceiling, right? And like a hook with rope, right? On his ceiling. And he doesn't, it's not strong enough for the ceiling cracks and he falls, right? And right before that he was in, I think Home Depot, asking for rope, you know, because he's going to hang himself, right? And because he's really curmungent, he's a good jerk, you know, he's still angry at life. Sometimes I feel that way too, but I never abuse the salespeople. So he's passed this pay so many dollars per yard, you know, he's getting so many three and a half yards instead of four. And he's making a stink that he asked he shouldn't pay for the full four yards. But it's just gets really, really sort of slapstick comedy, right? And then when he falls from the ceiling, he sees a newspaper on the floor. I guess you figured he was going to bleed or he's really sophisticated. You know, you're going to kill yourself while you're putting newspaper on the floor to protect your floor. And when he's going to blood, there's going to be blood on the floor. So he sees this ad, he falls into the ad for root for flowers. So he sees the flowers and then he takes the flowers and he goes and sees his wife's grave. And he's talking to her. And then, you know, and he starts talking about Marisol, these neighbors, you know, the really nice neighbors. So this is like, this is almost a comedy, you know, but the sadness that, you know, when I first read the initial reviews, it talked about he was committing suicide. So I really wasn't happy with that. I don't like seeing sad movies or violence filled movies. But this movie is really good because it's a comedy. And at the same time, there's some sad elements. So I can get into some of these other scenes, but I'll give you the, you know, you talk about some of the other scenes and I'll chime in. Really good movie, like the movie, but then we'll rate it a theme. Okay. Yeah, okay. Well, I was touched not once, but many times during the movie. Because, yes, I used the same term. He was a curmudgeon. He was also, you know, a broken man in many ways. He was an engineer, thanks to his wife, who was really, really sweet in this movie. You get to meet her little moments of endearment in this movie. And you understand why he misses me so much. He's kind of a narrow, curmudgeon individual. He's an engineer. He measures the rope. He doesn't need six feet of rope. You know, he needs five and a half feet of rope. And he goes to the cashier in the Home Depot store and he says, I don't want to pay for six feet of rope. What's the difference? It's 33 cents. That's the difference. So what you have is, you know, the poor cashier doesn't know what to do. The manager, who is a young woman, doesn't know what to do. And the people online with him, whether, you know, they were sympathetic or just practical, are offering to pay the 33 cents. If you'll please just move along. I mean, you can say that's funny, but really, that's an example of what happens here. People wind up reaching out to him. He's the curmudgeon, but he's got a kind of soft spot for people who reach out. He needs people to reach out. The same thing with the attempted suicide on the train station. He's about to jump. This other fellow falls. He goes and saves him. And then what you have is all these people on the on the platform are reaching down to him to help him. And he can't resist that. He's looking for somebody to care for him. And I think that's an essential element in this movie. Tom Hanks has never played it quite this way. He is so powerful in this movie. He doesn't crack a smile. You know, you begin to learn about him. You know, I was, I was thinking, you know, you don't meet the wife right away. You get little snapshots of how she courted him. This one scene in a restaurant gets in Pittsburgh where he doesn't, he buys, he orders the soup for himself. And if she's sitting there with a steak and an entree, she says to him, Otto, how come, you know, you don't, you don't have an entree? Just some soup. That he lies. He says, I ate at home, but she is a smart woman. And she knows immediately that he doesn't have the money to buy an entree for himself. And she calls him out on it. And he says, well, I'm sorry, I lied to you. I have to go now. And, you know, he's embarrassed. And he turns to leave. He grabs his hand. And in the middle of this restaurant, he gives him a deep, wounding kiss. This is the way their courtship got serious. And the people in the restaurant applauded. And that was so touching. What I get out of this is it's an American story. It's a middle-class person with a middle-class family, middle-class neighbors, had a middle-class job, middle-class college degree. And we learn about him. We see the insides of him. We see how he reacts to things, where he is in the world. We see him deal with all these things that are unpleasant and challenging and so forth. I never saw Tom Hanks do a job like this before. Some people think that Marisol's character is sort of short, fat, pregnant. She wasn't Mexican. She was El Salvador. She admitted, you know, which is different. And she's the one who woke him up. She's the one who gave him unconditional love. And she's the one who brought him out of his doldrums. And she is really a star in the movie. The two of them together made that movie. She, you will see her again, Marisol. And all the characters in the movie, there are maybe six characters in the whole movie. That's it. And they all play really important roles. You know, her husband, who was a bit of a stunk. And, you know, this great scene, he says, can I borrow your ladder, Otto? Now, why do you want to borrow the ladder? Because the window won't open. And Otto says, have you tried opening it from the inside? Why do you? Anyway, really wonderful one-liners in there, all delivered straight face, all delivered dead serious by a curmudgeon. And so, you know, you get this kind of warm and fuzzy thing about how people care for each other on this closed block, which Otto enforces that. You can't drive on this block. This block is reserved. We have to follow the rules. And what is really happening is, you know, these six people are interacting with each other. These people are, you know, their own way, their own community, their own neighborhood, their own family, their family. And they replace his lost wife. They replace his family. And, you know, for that reason, you see that interaction and you say, wow, this is, you know, but for the grace, this could happen to anybody in the country. It's an American story. I could go on, but I love this movie, not only because of him. At first, I didn't recognize him with the makeup and all that. And when he appeared with Ari Melber, what was interesting is he looked more like Otto than he did like the Tom Hanks, the, you know, teenage looking Tom Hanks that we know. It's hard, you know, to recognize him in this movie. But anyway, I would say this is probably the best, most incisive statement. When he was being interviewed by Ari Melber, he didn't talk politics, but then he did talk politics. And he was talking about, you know, not being cynical, he was talking about a better country for a better world. And in fact, we find that Tom Hanks has made commercials for Barack Obama and I think Joe Biden too. So he does have a political consciousness and he doesn't like Trump too much. And so he's a member of the national community. And this is his contribution, his movies are all his contribution to how we should live better together. And that was the essence of this movie, Otto. We should all live better together. There's no reason why we can't love each other and be loved. Wow, what a movie. No violence? Well, there's one scene where he pushed a clown around. That was pretty funny. He, a hospital clown, he got mad at him and pushed him. But aside from that, this was not violence or vengeance or negative or cynical. This was about love among strangers who came together and cared about each other. It's like, you know, if we could all live like this, it would be a better time. Okay, your turn. I remember Rodney King back in LA when they had the riots. I think it was 92. He said, can't we all just get along? I don't know if you remember Rodney King. But getting back to the movie, how they met his wife, Sonia, she was going to get on a train. She was running to the train to get on the train. And she was reading this book, I don't know, it was a novel or whatever. And she dropped the book and he saw this. He was a caring person even in his young days. And the younger version of Otto was played by Tom Hank's son. So which is really, if I found that interesting. And he runs and he runs and gets on the train that she got on just as it's pulling away. And then he's going to the seats. He's got the book in his hand and he finds her and shows her the book, right? And she's so happy that, you know, that he brought the book to her, right? And so she asks him to sit with, right? And then when the conductor comes, takes her ticket and then his ticket is for a different train. So the conductor says, you're on the wrong train. So right away she knew that he really sort of likes her maybe, you know, that he buddies, you know. And this is how their relationship started. Now, another scene is that they get into the military, right? Oh, don't forget, he did not have enough money in his pocket. Remember, he had been rejected by the army for having the medical term, I forgot. But the problem was he a big heart and oversized a large heart. The army rejected him. He had no job. And he didn't have no money. And he had no degree, nothing. He was, you know, completely bereft. And she saw that he couldn't afford the ticket to go where she was going. And it was like $2. I mean, this is 1980 or so, $2. So he's short by like, like 75 cents. And she gives him the money necessary to buy the ticket to go where she's going. And she gave him one 1964 silver quarter, too much. And when he attempted to return it to her, she said no. And that silver quarter plays a role throughout this movie. Exactly. When was it that he got angry because someone gave him, oh, the clown, that was the clown. The clown didn't give him back the same quarter that he had given him. And that quarter had sentimental value for Otto. So he can win them all the time. And the clown didn't. Yeah, the clown did not understand. And because, you know, sometimes people don't understand where you're coming, right? Because it's they're blind to that, right? What your experiences have been. So bottom line is, that's why he got angry at the clown, because he wanted that same quarter. And this clown says, I'm giving you a quarter. What does it matter which quarter? Was the quarter that Sonya had given them that started their relationship? And yes, the military thing, they had rejected him because of a big heart. I forgot the military. Yeah. The interesting thing is it's a clown. This is a clown. And, you know, the movie is telling us something, you know, sometimes clowns do the wrong thing. And you can't tolerate a clown who isn't funny. And there was a message there, I would have to sit and think about what it was. There were so many messages. And in the end, you haven't mentioned in the end what happened. He does not die of all his attempts at suicide. He survives every single one of them. But one day, Marisol finds him, sadly, lying dead with his cat. His cat was the only person in his house. He had a lot of trouble accepting a cat in his house, but with his cat on his bed and he died of a heart that was too big. Think about that. Was he telling us, this is fiction, telling us that the guy had a heart that was too big? That's so you hit the point. I mean, talk about play on words, you know, that his heart was too small and then it became, well, not even his whole life, his heart was pretty big. I mean, from an emotional standpoint. But the play on words about the physically, biologically, the heart's too big. So not a sort of subtle things being, as you just said, subtle, little subtle things going on here as well. That's why I watched the movie twice, actually, because I thought I missed a lot. Now, for example, Marisol, was it Marisol or somebody, some other character in the movie is in his kitchen. And she says, gee, your counters are so low. I don't know if you caught that. Your counters are so, why are your counters so low? Did you, did you, were they like that? Did you build them? What happened? And he makes some flat, flat effect statement. He says, I built them. I'm handy. And he is, he can do anything. And you realize afterward, it was because his wife was in a wheelchair. So he rebuilt the kitchen because she was a good cook and he wanted to make her life as comfortable. And although you don't meet the young man, Tom Hanks' son, or Tom Hanks' wife, very much in the movie, the love affair between them is so powerful. And his reaction without her is so powerful that it's like an overwhelming romance that is so profound. So all the touch points of his life, this fictitious character becomes real. It's almost like at the end of the movie, especially if you watch it twice, he's real, the real person. And you are familiar with so many of his, you know, the, the benchmarks of his life, his relationship with, with Sonia, his relationship with Marisol and Marisol's family. You know, these are like real people. And I don't know why, but it touched me so much. I mean, all those things with Sonia and with the younger him were all flashbacks. Usually when he was ready to commit suicide, you know, when he fell from the ceiling or, or in another, I mean, it was always some crisis. Don't forget the gas in the car. Yeah, he put a garden hose into his car. Marisol saved him by, because her husband fell off the ladder and had to, had to get him to the thing. Now, we can talk a little bit about the end to before he dies a few years before, he gives his car to this transsexual kid that was a student of Sonia's, right? And, and the kid is like, you know, because he also had helped this kid fix his bicycle because Sonia was very accepting of this transsexual kid. And then he buys a truck, this big truck, you know, like these people here, these, some of these people have these huge trucks. And, and then he gives the truck to Marisol and her husband that he gives that truck to them, right? But no, after he dies, he leaves a will of some kind. And he disposes of his property, his house, his car, and other things of value, including his cat, to these people. And, you know, and you, you get to see the man so clearly, more clearly, when you see what he did after his life was over, how he gave his things away and made these very sensitive choices about who would get what. Exactly. Precisely, you know, so there's so many issues here that I'm blind in one eye. I went to the military, I was rejected. So I understood his situation there as well. Oh, I think you have a big heart also, George. Well, I try. So Jay, how do you feel about this movie in terms of rating it? What is your rating? Oh, I would give it the highest possible rating because it touched me. And not once, but twice. It made Tom Hanks a permanent fixture in my way. I look left you with a world. It made this character a statement of not necessarily the America that we have, but the America that we want. It was a statement of life in Pittsburgh, life in the middle class, life with a diverse group of people. And I think that's one of the big messages here. These people were diverse, you know, get the trans kid. You got the black family with whom he was friendly always, I mean, until they had a silly argument. You got the homeowner's association, which was out of its mind. You got the developer who was greedy. And you got Marisol, who was, you know, 10 feet tall. I mean, all these people are icons in America, and furthermore, in the America we want to have. I mean, the diversity played a big role. Here's a guy who was saved by a woman from El Salvador, saved. He would have committed suicide a number of times were it not for him. And she understood, she understood all about him. She brought him out of it. It was love between them, even though she was married. So, yeah, I saw it as what Tom Hanks would do, given his discussion and the answers he provided to Ari Melrose questions in this extraordinary interview. He's a very smart guy, very ethical, moral, cogent thinker. And this movie reflected him. He must have been involved in the writing. He must have been involved in the direction. This is all about Tom Hanks, but he's modest about it. It's not like he's blowing his own horn or presenting his own family. He was presenting his view of the country. I give it a 10 to 10 plus, if I can give it a 10 plus. Very, very good movie. And one of the things we didn't discuss, I'll make it quick, he saves Anita and Ruben, the black couple was going to be evicted by their son who had played legal games. And he got in because of his ability, legal ability. And he saved their place that Ruben and his wife could stay in their house where they've lived for years. So that was another factor. But I'll give it everything you said I agree with. Very, very good movie. Tom Hanks played this thing super. We need more movies like that. If you look through it, you'll find what his motivation was. And his motivation was not to show us violence and vengeance and boot ups or anything like that, or hate or bigotry. He was really the opposite of all that. He was trying to give us a 50,000 foot message, I think. And this movie is going to be a classic. And I think that we need more movies like this. I wish I could find a lot more movies like this with very talented actors, directors, who can send a message like this to have us understand our neighbors and our society. It's like, you know, so often in the shows we do on the American condition, American issues, we wind up, you know, like the ever ready battery in the corner of the room with no answers, no solutions, only expectations for worse. And so when an actor, you know, who is so thoughtful does a movie like this, you say, this is the kind of thing that can actually make life in these United States better. If people would watch it, understand it, appreciate all its various messages. Unfortunately, there aren't enough of these movies. But at least we can appreciate it, George, you and me. And we can talk about it. And we can urge other people to see it and gain those messages. It was uplifting. That's what it was. That's why I'm with you. It's 10 plus. That's what it is. I would urge people to take a look. It just came out recently, so I would urge them as well to take a look. And don't be put off by the, you know, the cautionary notice at the beginning of the film, which says this film has multiple instances of attempts at suicide. You know, not everybody will like that. But the fact is that it was about that. It was about suicide. And it was a treatment of suicide and all these very difficult issues we are faced with in our lives. And so there's another message there. It's a message of being a senior and getting old and suffering through the challenges that seniors suffer through and the notion of losing, you know, the great love of your life, which clearly that was the case for him. And so there were messages on so many levels that we could go on, but we won't because we got to go. George, let me say I really appreciate you looking at this one. I appreciate your comments about it. And let's look for more like this one. Your comments, excellent too. Yeah. Two weeks from now, we'll get back and put another movie. Thank you, George. Thank you. Thank you so much for watching Think Tech Hawaii. If you like what we do, please like us and click the subscribe button on YouTube and the follow button on Vimeo. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and donate to us at thinktechhawaii.com. Mahalo.