Forrest Grump.

In these uncertain times, a little reliability goes a long way. The world around us can feel perilously unstable at times, so the comforting power that can be found in a familiar, reliable face should not be underestimated.

For the best part of four decades now, Tom Hanks has been that face. Whatever the role or movie, Hanks has been one of the steadiest hands in the game, an actor that can always be depended upon for turning in reassuringly solid performances.

Regardless of a film’s ultimate quality, it’s amazing just how far the perpetually amiable face of Tom Hanks can carry it. But what happens when that Hanks face is less friendly than usual? Can a Hanks film work when the star’s role is more grump than Gump?

Following the loss of his wife, Otto Anderson (Tom Hanks) has descended into a state of depression and interminable grumpiness, no longer seeing purpose in his life. Ready to end it all, Otto’s misguided attempts at suicide are thwarted when a lively family move in next door. Meeting his match with the quick-witted Marisol (Mariana Treviño), Otto is challenged to see life differently, leading to an unlikely friendship that will turn his world around.

For a man that’s built much of his career on his affable nature, there’s a certain intrigue to witnessing Tom Hanks in full-on grump mode, and while it’s no massive spoiler to say his character’s rough façade smooths somewhat as A Man Called Otto’s story progresses, the fun in watching him play against type for most of it is undeniable.

The familiarity with Tom Hanks as a lovable father figure goes a long way to making his performance here as perma-grouch Otto that little bit more interesting. In an odd way, it’s clear Hanks is having a lot of fun with the part, and, despite the character’s general cantankerousness, that comes across well throughout, elevating what is a heart-warming, if thoroughly average, movie.

It would be a tad harsh to claim Hollywood remakes of non-English language films never work, yet it’s fair to say those that do survive the transition are few and far between. Hollywood history is littered with misguided, deaf-eared reinterpretations of successful foreign movies and, unfortunately, it’s hard not to consider A Man Called Otto among them.

While it’s certainly not one of the worst offenders out there, Marc Forster’s Americanised take on quirky Swedish hit A Man Called Ove just can’t recapture the energy of its predecessor. There are moments it does come close to matching A Man Called Ove’s idiosyncratic charm, however, as with many before it, the overt desire to tailor the picture to an American audience means much of the original’s appeal ends up lost in translation.

With heart dialled up to eleven, A Man Called Otto is undeniably emotionally engaging, yet this increased sentimentality is a large part of the film’s problem. As one might expect, the movie is precision engineered to bleed your emotions dry, caring not for subtlety or dangerously high saccharine levels as director Marc Forster and writer David Magee go straight for our feels, doubling down on Otto’s tragic backstory and his ultimate road to redemption.

This overt sentimentality is perfectly fine to a point, and there are moments where it’s practically impossible to avoid shedding a tear or two, yet it’s the film’s need to throw this mountain of sugary schmaltz on top of an overtly quirky comedy, while also leaning heavily on the story’s darker mental health issues, that A Man Called Otto’s wheels begin to fall off.

Such a combination of tones is not an easy balance to strike, and despite Hanks’ clear desire to achieve it, A Man Called Otto’s clunky writing just can’t pull it off. All three tones battle it out throughout the film, each one frequently tripping the other up, and despite individual moments that come close to matching Hannes Holm’s original, the result is a bit of a mess and frequently unable to decide quite what it wants to be.

To his credit, Hanks - together with charismatic co-star Mariana Treviño and an enthusiastic support cast - does his upmost to pull A Man Called Otto through, and, in many ways, he just about does. Without Hanks there as leading man, it’s hard to see the film being any more than a throwaway “Movie of the Week”, so to have someone of his star power and affable stature lending weight to the whole thing is vitally important in making A Man Called Otto the enjoyable watch it is.

With a history of turning in solidly enjoyable, if not particularly mind-blowing, movies (think Finding Neverland and Christopher Robin), Marc Forster is certainly a steady hand behind the camera and, alongside Hanks, does a more than adequate job of putting together a pleasant comedy-drama that, despite its faults, offers a heart-warming and thoroughly affecting time at the pictures.

While its messy, subpar writing struggles to strike the right balance between schmaltz, comedy, and drama, A Man Called Otto’s moving tale of redemption will undoubtedly strike an emotional chord with many. With Tom Hanks in grump mode, yet as amiable as ever, A Man Called Otto achieves precisely what it sets out to, and while the film’s predictability and heavy-handed sentimentality over-egg things, it still manages to offer a solid, affecting moviegoing experience that will turn that frown upside down.