A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Mr. Rogers is a national treasure. 

Tom Hanks is a national treasure. 

Having one portray the other on film is almost too wholesome. How does one cope?!?

Many months ago when the casting decision was made to put Hanks in the role of the pure Fred Rogers - and then the first still of him smiling in a red sweater emerged, it seemed as if America, for the briefest of moments, had collective peace in this choice. 

The film isn't all that long after the [excellent] documentary about Rogers' life, Won't You Be My Neighbor. That was a much more focused film, as documentaries are, on the man himself and the legacy left behind. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a much different film than I'm sure many are expecting, but it's for that reason that it's more powerful than something that could have been straight forward with Tom Hanks front and center. Instead, he's a costar in his own movie. 

A Beautiful Day is mostly about Matthew Rhys' Lloyd Vogel. He's a investigative journalist for a famous magazine and a talented writer who wins many awards for his work. He's cynical, pessimistic, and generally angry underneath the surface. We come to learn this is largely because of traumatic events in his childhood brought on by his father. As the actual star of the film, Rhys is fantastic and should get Awards noms all the same as Hanks' Rogers. Rhys is a complicated human the more we learn about him and his interactions with someone as pure and good as Mr. Rogers are captivating to watch. You can see the pessimism of this man - who many believe there has to be something wrong with - turning in his mind. Hanks is wonderful here as Rogers without going too far into exact mimicry to the point of distraction. It's clearly Hanks, it won't ever fool you, but instead of mannerisms and the like, Hanks focuses on what made Roger's truly unique: his kindness, his calm tone of voice, and his ability to connect. During the dialogue there are moments of quiet silence - as Roger's determines what he wants to say next - that makes scenes all the more powerful. Conversation from Rhys' character hit with a bite and normal comments that would anger others result in thought-provoking responses from Rogers. 

Always a warm greeting with a soft voice and eye contact

Neighborhood's screenplay is just as unique as the man himself. I'm sure studio executives thought a Mr. Rogers biopic where he's a supporting character was mad, but it also comes with quirky puppet segments and an entire hallucination scene that's funny, but like most other things in the film, powerful. It makes what could have been a very normal, yet interesting, biopic, all the more captivating. It turns a film from being about someone, instead being about growth, acceptance, managing one's feelings, and a lot of the other stuff that Mr. Rogers "preached" from his television show to children. The fact it's between two adults is all the more reason that it works.

The film quality, outside of its plot and performances, is merely "okay". I wish there could have been a more powerful original score, but the subdued bits from Mr. Rogers' show work well when used and the cinematography is just here to capture the footage. This certainly didn't need "grand" imagery - and the film isn't worse for it - but a lot of elements are just there. Similarly, it felt too long at about 10 minutes shy of 2 hours. The latter fourth feels to come to a slog, even though it's an important part of the film, so I'm almost wondering if they should have gotten there sooner. 

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, much like Won't You Be My Neighbor, and the real Mr. Rogers show is a platform to teach. To teach us that a little bit of kindness can go a long way and to teach us how to manage our emotions in constructive (as opposed to destructive) ways. It must be a huge honor as Fred Rogers, looking down on his legacy, to have these two films be about you. I'm almost positive that he would be proud. 

CONS

• Slogs a little near the end. Probably could have used a 5-10 minute trimming
• Just "okay" cinematography and original score

PROS

• Matthew Rhys turns in a terrific performance and is highly skilled at displaying the pessimism his character owns in his portrayal
• Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers is about as wholesome as wholesome gets. It's a reserved portrayal, which works perfectly
• A unique screenplay with a different approach than you may be expecting pays dividends for the total effect the film holds. It totally worked
• Well constructed dialogue with ample time to provide Hanks' Rogers silence, particularly in difficult times
• Historically interesting, captivating, and aiming to teach not just about Rogers, but about what he truly believed in. It's a delight of a film and perfect for families this Thanksgiving

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10