“Please, won’t you be my neighbor?” - Fred Rogers
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood is directed by Marielle Heller, and stars Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers. The story follows a miserable reporter named Lloyd Vogel, who writes for Esquire Magazine. When he is assigned to interview Mr. Rogers, Vogel is skeptical that Rogers is actually as kind-hearted as he seems to be. But as Vogel shows signs of cynicism and misery, Rogers takes it upon himself to get to know Vogel better, and help him face his internal demons.
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood has some of the most powerful movie moments of the year in my opinion, but it’s the way those moments are executed that makes them so powerful. This movie is extremely creative and out of the box. It has many moments that are very strange and surreal, which is odd considering that Mr. Rogers is the main selling point of the film.
It’s really quite interesting to me the way this film was marketed. In the trailers, and even the posters, it seems as if it’s going to be a film about Mr. Rogers’ life story. This is not what the film is about, however. Mr. Rogers is not the main character here. The main character is Lloyd Vogel. Mr. Rogers is just in the movie. The real story is just about how Rogers comes into Vogel’s life, and lends a helping hand to Lloyd and his family. I much preferred this approach over what could’ve just been a standard biopic.
For those of you who don’t know this about me, Tom Hanks is my favorite actor of all time. He always has been, and his performance here is just another reason why he continues to be my favorite actor to this day. Tom Hanks doesn’t play the role of Mr. Rogers, he is Mr. Rogers. He perfects every single movement, mannerism, and line of dialogue to the point where you feel like you are actually watching the real Fred Rogers on screen. Matthew Rhys is also quite good as Lloyd Vogel, but he gets completely overshadowed by Hanks.
The set design is great, and we get to see some lovely miniatures of the city of Pittsburgh, just like the miniatures in the show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. I loved the beautiful scene transitions, and how many portions of the movie felt like you were watching an episode of the television series. The musical score is also wonderful, and replicates the jazzy style of the music from the show.
One of the things that this film does best is that it shows just how larger-than-life Mr. Rogers really was. He had an incredibly kind and gentle personality, and he was able to connect with nearly everyone he talked to. This movie excels at portraying Rogers as the kindhearted figure he was.
As for flaws, the movie does have a few. I thought that there were a couple of editing choices that were very bizarre, and didn’t fit the style of the movie. I also thought that for a large chunk of the film, the character of Lloyd Vogel and his dad Jerry, played by Chris Cooper were both extremely unlikable. I realize that it had to be that way because of the story that the film tells, but since Lloyd and his dad take up so much screen time, I grew annoyed with it after awhile. I understand that Lloyd and his dad are supposed to start out as terrible people, but I didn’t think that the film had to ruminate on that fact as much as it does. However, I will say that because they are portrayed so terribly for as long a time as they are, it makes the strength of Mr. Rogers’ kindness all the more powerful.
A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood is a film that I really had a great time watching, especially since I grew up watching the show when I was still a young child. If you’re looking for a film that tells the story of Fred Rogers’ life, this is not it. But if you want a movie that makes you feel good, and promotes kindness not only to others, but also to yourself, I strongly suggest giving this movie a try.
Rating: PG
Grade: A-
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