Is A Man Called Otto based on a true story?

❘ Published: 2023-05-24T14:25:47

Sony Pictures

Is A Man Called Otto based on a true story? We may have all met a grump like Tom Hanks’ character, but is the movie based on real events?

A Man Called Otto is a film that will leave you sobbing into your pillow – and now you can sob in the privacy of your own home, as it recently Netflix following its theatrical release in January. And already it’s made it to the platform’s top 10 movies chart.

As per the official synopsis: “A Man Called Otto tells the story of Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks), a grump who no longer sees purpose in his life following the loss of his wife. Otto is ready to end it all, but his plans are interrupted when a lively young family moves in next door, and he meets his match in quick-witted Marisol. She challenges him to see life differently, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world around.”

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you might be left wondering: is A Man Called Otto based on a true story? We’ve got the answer…

Is A Man Called Otto based on a true story?

No, A Man Called Otto is not based on a true story. However, it is based on the 2012 novel A Man Called Ove by author Fredrik Backman, who drew inspiration from a real-life cranky man… and himself.

According to The New Yo r k Times, Backman got the idea while freelancing for a Swedish magazine named Cafe. One of his colleagues wrote a post about an angry man named Ove who had kicked off while buying tickets at an art museum, before his wife stepped in to calm him down.

The author told the outlet: “My wife read the blog post and said, ‘This is what life is like with you.’ I’m not very socially competent. I’m not great at talking to people. My wife tends to say, ‘Your volume is always at 1 or 11, never in between.’”

Taking the idea and running with it, Backman started to write posts about his bugbears and outbursts with the headline “I Am a Man Called Ove”. As the articles gained traction, the writer realized he could turn this character into a novel, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“There’s a lot of me in him,” he added. “When we get angry, it’s about a principle, and we get angry because people don’t understand why we’re angry.”

A Man Called Ove went on to become the #1 New York Times bestseller, earning worldwide acclaim. In 2015, it was adapted for the big screen by filmmaker Hannes Holm, before getting its American adaptation from director Marc Forster. As well as the switch from “Ove” to “Otto”, Tom Hanks stars as the eponymous lead character.

A Man Called Otto is available to stream on Netflix now. It is also available to buy or rent on various platforms including Amazon Prime Video, which you can sign up for here.

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