A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood review

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: 

TOM HANKS SHINES AS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL TELEVISION STARS OF ALL TIME IN THIS WHOLESOME AND MOVING BIOPIC!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

TRISTAR PICTURES

Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

            Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Cast Away, The Post) dons the sweatshirt and brings the legacy of television star Fred Rogers to the screen in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the new biopic directed by Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) and inspired by the 1998 Esquire magazine article, Can You Say…Hero? by Tom Junod. If you read my review of last year’s documentary film, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? then you know I have mad respect for Fred Rogers and what he stood for whether as the host of the children’s television series, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, helping both kids and adults express their feelings, or fighting to get funding for PBS, this man knew what he was doing and he has touched and captivated people everywhere for generations. 

            There seems to be a resurgence of Mister Rogers’ popularity and awareness after the release of Won’t You Be My Neighbor? which covered his life and career as well as the impact he had on everyone whether a child or an adult. Now here comes this film with the nicest man in Hollywood portraying the nicest man on TV and bringing a story to the screen that was NOT explored in the documentary, Tom Junod’s interview with Fred and his article for Esquire on heroes and how simple acts of kindness can change an individual. 

            I know I’m going to sound like a broken record since everyone is already saying the same thing about this movie, but I’m sorry A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is just wonderful and Hanks with a twinkle in his eye and overflowing with positivity and passion makes your heart melt like butter. However, much like the series that inspired it, the film depicts intense and very mature subject matter like difficult relationships with family members, raising a child, and even death, but are done in a positive light and give people a chance to learn from such experiences. 

            The film follows Esquire journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys-Brothers & Sisters, The Edge of Love, The Post) being assigned to interview television personality Fred Rogers (Hanks) for a 400-word article on heroes. Lloyd travels to Pittsburgh where he meets Fred at WQED Studios for the interview. 

            During the interview Fred learns that Lloyd is having difficult times providing for his wife Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson-Third Watch, Louie, This is Us) and newborn son Gavin as well as reconnecting with his estranged father Jerry (Chris Cooper-American Beauty, Adaptation, Breach) who cheated on his mother and abandoned him when he was a child. Fred takes Lloyd on a journey of self-discovery by having him behind-the-scenes on the show, taking him to a Chinese restaurant and discussing the many things a person can do, or even something as simple as riding a Subway train to Fred’s apartment while all the riders sing the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood theme song as Lloyd realizes that Fred Rogers is more than just a man who talks with puppets and entertains kids and slowly learns to be a better person and letting go of the past. 

            The film also stars Enrico Colantoni (Galaxy Quest, Veronica Mars, Hope & Gloria) as Bill Isler, Maryann Plunkett (The Squid and the Whale, Blue Valentine, True Story) as Joanne Rogers, Tammy Blanchard (Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, The Good Shepherd, Into the Woods) as Lorraine, Wendy Makkena (Sister Act 1 and 2, Finding North, State of Play) as Dorothy, Carmen Cusack (Wicked, Bright Star, Sorry for Your Loss) as Margy, Jessica Hecht (The Single Guy, Friends, Breaking Bad) as Lila Vogel, Noah Harpster (One Mississippi, For All Mankind, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) as Todd, Maddie Corman (Some Kind of Wonderful, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Begin Again) as Betty Aberlin, and Christina Lahti (Swing Shift, Running on Empty, Lieberman in Love) as Ellen. 

            Overall, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is an inspiring and powerful experience and one of the best biopics I have ever seen. It’s interesting because while the movie does revolve around Mister Rogers, he is actually not the main focus of this movie but rather on the Lloyd character who is loosely based off Tom Junod and how Fred helps him reconnect with his family and make amends with his father to become a better person. 

             It shows that Mister Rogers wasn’t just there for children to express their feelings, he was also just as in tune with adults and had plenty of things to teach them. A lot of people gave Fred sh*t in the past most notably from Fox News for encouraging children to grow up with a sense of self-entitlement, well then Fox News is nothing more than an “Evil, Evil Channel”, but if you listen and think about what he’s discussing whether on his show or from interviews then you might realize this simple “Kids’ Show” may have a deeper meaning than you thought and his lessons might prove to be very helpful in your life whether a child or an adult. 

            However, Fred’s lessons are made even more believable when they’re coming from another nice-guy celebrity, Tom Hanks who completely transforms into Fred Rogers through his performance. I think we all know Fred Rogers sounds nothing like Tom Hanks but that is quickly forgotten when you see him on-screen in the costume and interacting with people, his mannerisms, the way he speaks, and how there isn’t a bridge between his TV persona and his personal life, I’m convinced this is the real Fred Rogers but with Tom Hanks’ voice and I’ll be pissed if he doesn’t get at least an Oscar nomination for this, he already made a good Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks but he makes a far better Fred Rogers.

            Matthew Rhys is also very likable as Lloyd, this broken man who has lost his way and is having difficult relationships with his family being assigned to interview Fred Rogers. They could have easily made him the guy who just doesn’t understand Fred’s techniques and constantly telling him “That’s not how real-life works!”, but no he listens to what Fred has to say, he talks to him about what’s going on in his life both good and bad, and the two of them try to help each other out with Fred showing him the path for a better life, Rhys portrays Lloyd as the cynical straight man to Hanks’ whimsical but wise Fred and they work together wonderfully on-screen.

            Even though it’s a biopic and based on a true story, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood still retains that Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood charm in an absolutely clever way. The film starts with a recreation of the intro to the TV series with Tom Hanks singing the theme song (Model houses, cars, trolley, and all) shot with a 4:3 aspect ratio but every time a character travels or a new location appears it is depicted through the Mister Rogers models and every time it happened I had this really dopey smile on my face. 

            Whether you’re a child, adult, or anyone with a beating heart then A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is required viewing. Even if you didn’t grow up with the TV show, go watch this wholesome, inspiring film that shows a little kindness can really go a long way.