You can't go wrong with this heartwarming tale that will re-ignite your childhood memories of Mr. Rogers and the warm feeling you got when you'd watch his show.
“Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys, 2018 Best Actor in a Drama Series, The Americans) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about kindness, love and forgiveness from America’s most beloved neighbor.”
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood not only tells the story of the friendship between Fred Rogers and the journalist Tom Junod who published the article Can You Say…Hero?, but also tells the story of that article, adapted brilliantly in a way that takes situations and stories that Fred Rogers discusses with Junod and portrays it on film. With the film opening with an episode of Mr. Rogers’ show, Rogers (Tom Hanks) begins by addressing his audience and presenting a picture board that includes all his friends, including Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) the fictional character based on Tom Junod, who Mr. Rogers tells us has been hurt by people he loves and is having a hard time forgiving them. It’s a wonderful introduction to a character and story, perhaps one of the most dazzling and unique there is.
Despite the name of the film and prominence put on Tom Hanks portraying Mr. Rogers, he’s not the center of the film. The story of Lloyd Vogel and his relationship with his father Jerry (Chris Cooper), which begin to have implications on his home life with wife Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson) and their newborn child, is the center of the story, and a powerful one at that. There can be no better homage to the memory and spirit of Mr. Rogers than this essence of the film, as Rogers never sought to be the center of attention, but used whatever influence he had in an attempt to better the lives of children everywhere. This story is heartwarming from beginning to end, as Vogel struggles with his home life while working on the Mr. Rogers story, all the while Mr. Rogers sensing something is wrong, utilizing every ounce of empathy to wear down the walls around him.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to immediately read the article in Esquire after the film ends. What you’ll discover is how much of the interview made its way into the film, with instances for example when Rogers tells Junod about a time he was on a subway in a lower-income area and instead of coming up to ask for a picture or a hug, the children in the subway car just sang the opening song from his show. Although this didn’t happen with the journalist along with him in reality, this instance is shown in the film with Vogel and Rogers together. These are the most heartwarming moments that Rogers describes in the interview, woven together in the screenplay to better illustrate the journey of the friendship these two men develop, and to give those heartwarming moments more meaning to the audience. Probably one of the most poignant moments comes from a section of the article when Junod describes Fred Rogers winning an Emmy, and during his speech he asks the audience to take a moment to think of all the people who have loved them into being, and, in the film, he asks Vogel and the audience the same question. As much as the film is telling the story of Lloyd Vogel, it’s also telling each and every one of our stories as well, involving the audience in a way that only Mr. Rogers’ television show could do.
The overall look of the film is also something that is simply spectacular. Some sequences portray the television show as Mr. Rogers narrates the story of Lloyd Vogel, introducing us to him and his job in a video on Picture Picture that shows everyone just how magazines are made, exactly like he would do on the real television show. In between the different story transitions, a lot of the miniatures are recreated from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. And, just like in the show, when we leave the world of Mr. Rogers, we are witness to a bustling world that now expands to New York City. These transitions are beautiful, nostalgic, and quite simply perfect for this film in every way. The Neighborhood of Make-Believe is again something beautiful and entirely nostalgic for those of us who grew up watching the show. It had been so long since I’ve seen an episode, I forgot so many things about it, including characters, who give you a great big smile when you see them on screen. The puppets were all re-created by the puppet makers of Sesame Street and look great, especially Daniel Striped Tiger, re-igniting that spark of joy that we all had as children watching the show.
There is certainly a reason Tom Hanks was nominated for an Oscar for this film. His portrayal of Fred Rogers is simply astonishing. He pours himself into this role, with all the mannerisms in-tact that make us see Fred Rogers on screen. The decision to only use mild prosthetics such as the wig and eyebrows was a refreshing decision to give respect to both the actor and the subject, relying on the skill and craft of Tom Hanks to bring Rogers to the big screen. Matthew Rhys also did a fantastic job in embodying the strained relationship of father and son and illustrating the anger, sadness, and frustration that type of strained relationship can entail. Everyone involved in this does such a good job that it truly does show in the quality of the story, one that will tug on the heartstrings of anyone who watches it.
Video
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is presented in 2160p 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. The transfer looks absolutely beautiful in every possible way. The film itself has many different aspects to it, with a lot of it purposefully looking like it was filmed on video-tape, giving it that ‘standard definition’ feel that you’d see in the television show. The parts of the film that are told in real-time are crisp, clear, extremely detailed. Colors are vibrant and well-balanced, though a bit muted to coincide with the era and the theme of the film.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS:X. This track sounds great as well, with the majority of the sound coming through in dialogue, sounding crisp and clear, balanced well against the surrounds. This isn’t the type of track you’re going to pop in to show off your set-up by any means, but the soundtrack comes in quite nice and is equally as beautiful, a great accompaniment to such a wonderful film.
Special Features
Some great extras are located on this disc, making a re-watch of the film even more enjoyable. On this set you’ll see:
- Over 15 Minutes of Additional Scenes
- Blooper Reel
- Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers
- The People Who Make a Neighborhood: The Making Of
- Dreaming Big, Building Small: The Puppets & Miniatures
- Daniel Tiger Explains: Practice Makes Perfect
- Filmmaker Commentary
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood isn’t a film about Mr. Rogers like you might expect, but it is exactly the type of film that Fred Rogers would want. In that sense, the film connects with those who finding its meaning even more so, letting Mr. Rogers guide them yet again, learning that it’s okay to feel. And that’s exactly what you’ll be doing while watching this film: feeling.
