A Man Called Ove (2016)

This is one of those movies where you hate to criticize it because there are so few movies nowadays that are effecting and tell a story for grown-ups. And for the first two-thirds or so the film IS absorbing, and the characters are touching. The humor of a man who, try as he may, cannot kill himself, is hard to resist. But in the end, this curmudgeon-becomes-loving-and-lovable story feels hackneyed and false. Ove rails against the bureaucracy of the "whiteshirts," but as many have pointed out when asked, "What did people do before the government got involved in (fill in the blank),"... well, they were abused, or were poisoned, or were killed. I don't know -- maybe it's a Swedish thing of an overbearing state, and there is a real risk of the infirm being carted away by money-minded caretakers (or at least there was one such story in the papers). But Ove's world view seems rather like that of a (rather unappealing) Idaho separatist. Moreover, I felt cheated that the fact his wife spent her adult life in a wheelchair wasn't disclosed until near the end. It would have come up more naturally earlier in the story, and leaving it for last felt like manipulation. Again, the movie is certainly watchable, or at least most of it. But ultimately I think it is a failure, and its rating among critics too high.

(Flash Review)A man with whom only a special woman would marry is recently widowed. Ove who's kind heart is wrapped with sandpaper appears to be depressed without his wife and makes plans to join her in Heaven. Yet he keeps getting distracted by his daily tasks as a caretaker for his condo association where he is a pesky stickler for rules. This films is well- written, quirky and attempts to connect you with Ove through a series of flashbacks interspersed between his caretaker issues. Each scene is a unique experience with dry humor. Well-edited and paced, it is an oddly charming Swedish film.

I can't make up my mind about this one's rating. The story provides absolutely nothing that hasn't been seen before. Quite the opposite, you'll only get exactly what you'd expect from a tale about lonely old grumpy man, warming up to his environment. But because it's well done and has charm, I'll add one point to the 6/10, that the script would actually deserve.

I saw this movie subtitled in English and I was disappointed in the inadequate transfer of the book of the same name to the screen. In the English translation of the book, the story captures the cultural and emotional nuances of Ove's relationships and interactions within his neighborhood. Ove is not only portrayed as cantankerous and intolerant, he is also a warm, tolerant and generous human being who is dealing with significant grief. The book covers his many relationships within his neighborhood in much detail and it is from these that we learn the warm side of Ove. Some of these more significant relationships (e.g. Jimmy)are brushed over in the movie and therefore don't build the richness that is evident in the book. I suppose it's always a big ask to capture in film what makes such a successful book as A Man Called Ove. However, it's not impossible (e.g. Last Orders by Graham Swift). These criticisms aside, Rolf Lassgard as Ove (senior) and Filip Berg as Ove (younger) give commendable performances, Bahar Pars as Parvaneh less so. I wanted more from this movie however it wasn't to be.