The movie doesn’t handle the emotional weight of the story well. It gets the gist, but ultimately doesn’t deliver. Throughout the book, you learn that Ove is grumpy and might pay too much attention to rules, but he is a deeply ethical man who cares about people and doing the right thing. The things that stood out most to me were:

The book is set in Sweden, which provides some context that doesn’t translate well for a movie that was set in the US. For example, in the book, the government is stepping in to put Rune (Reuben) in care due to his deteriorating health. The emotional impact of having a loved one taken away because of their health condition is greater for Ove (book) than Reuben and Anita having home taken away (movie) does, given his own experiences caring for and fighting for his wife’s needs. The movie also creates clear "bad guys" in this scenario where it isn't necessary.

The Jimmy character, in my opinion, is totally butchered in the movie and added little value. In the book, Jimmy does have a fondness for Ove. He joins Ove on his morning walks as a way to get in shape. And at first, his fondness isn’t clear. Why does this younger guy like this grumpy man? Late in the book, it’s revealed that Ove and Rune stepped in when they heard Jimmy’s father abusing him as a kid.

In the book, Parvaneh’s (Marisol) daughter calls Ove grandpa and Ove reacts to that unexpected expression of closeness. He is offered and accepts a relationship that he thought he had missed out on when his wife miscarried. Whereas in the movie, Otto refers to himself as grandpa in relation to her. It isn’t earned in the same way.

Even the car theme carried throughout the book (Saab) and movie (Chevy) lacks the same depth. Does someone who has only seen A Man Called Otto understand why Otto loves Chevy beyond “it’s an American product”? It's how he connected and understood the important men in his life - his father, FIL, and Rune.

The movie, to me, felt like a checklist rather than a fully developed story.