A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Director: Marielle Heller
Cast: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi, Chris Cooper
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, is a heartwarming story of kindness triumphing over cynicism. Based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod, this film follows Lloyd, a jaded magazine writer, (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) who is assigned to write a profile of Fred Rogers. Along the way, he overcomes his skepticism, and learns a valuable lesson about empathy, kindness, and friendship from the world’s most beloved neighbor.
Emotion plays a powerful theme in the movie and nowhere is it more perfectly illustrated than in the character of Mr. Rogers (Tom Hanks) himself.
For Fred Rogers, he didn’t want to be regarded as just another children’s television host. He truly wanted to be the child’s friend and create a sincere emotional connection with each child who saw him. We see one way this is illustrated when Lloyd Vogel visits Mr. Roger at the studio for the first time. He sees Mr. Rogers on the stage speaking to a little boy who is wearing an oxygen cannula. Although his TV crew was very impatient and frustrated, trying to get Mr. Rogers to focus on filming his show, Mr. Rogers took his time to talk with the child. He told the child that he was very brave…and as he spoke to the little boy and showed him compassion, the child reached out and hugged him…returning that connection.
Mr. Rogers shows the same respect to Lloyd, even before they are introduced in person. When he calls Lloyd to schedule the interview, he tells Lloyd that the most important thing to him in that moment was talking to Lloyd Vogel. When he sees Lloyd watching him at the studio, he stops filming the show to go and greet him personally. When they are talking during the interview, Mr. Rogers asks Lloyd how he got hurt. While Lloyd is initially reluctant to talk, he finds himself confiding the truth to Mr. Rogers that he and his father had been in a fight. And in truth, Lloyd feels that emotional connection to Mr. Rogers, as well. While he initially regards this assignment as a puff piece because he feels that Mr. Rogers is not as significant as some of his other subjects, after meeting him for the first time, Lloyd seemed to recognize what so many others have found endearing about Mr. Rogers; his uniquely empathetic heart and his desire to connect with people.
The emotional connection between Lloyd and Mr. Rogers is illustrated again when Lloyd visits Mr. Rogers in New York. When he asks Mr. Rogers why he addresses such dark subjects like death and war on his show and why he lets people tell him their problems, the answer to this question comes in a uniquely beautiful way. He introduces Lloyd to his friends, Daniel Tiger and King Friday. When Lloyd asks Mr. Rogers why he does not replace the puppets, Mr. Rogers tells him that although these puppets are tattered and careworn, they are his dear and precious friends, and he couldn’t replace them with new puppets because doing so would be like discarding his friend. When Mr. Rogers asks Lloyd if he had a special friend as a child, Lloyd tells him about his favorite childhood toy, Old Rabbit. He tells Mr. Rogers that his mother gave him this toy and that she died when he was just a child.
When Lloyd’s estranged father has a heart attack, rather than staying at the hospital with his family, Lloyd finds himself yearning to be back in Pittsburgh with Mr. Rogers. As he returns to Mr. Roger’s neighborhood, Lloyd has a dream about being in the Land of Make-Believe with Mr. Rogers and his friends. He confides his emotions to them and then, he sees his mother. I think in this moment, Lloyd finds peace because he can finally relinquish all that anger that he had been shackled to since her death.
And in creating that emotional bond with Mr. Rogers, I think this is what also heals the bond between Lloyd and his family. While he is initially very angry with his father…enough to fight with him…after he sees Mr. Rogers, he looks out the window again and his father isn’t there. For all his anger, Lloyd looks like a sad, lonely little boy as he sits in the window. When his father is dying, Lloyd initially runs away from his feelings, but in the end, Mr. Rogers inspires Lloyd to reconnect with his family and allow them to see the emotions he has been hiding for so long so that he may finally find peace in his relationship with his father.
I remember when Mr. Rogers came to Sesame Street and taught Big Bird about real and pretend (it was an episode where Snuffalupagus was still Big Bird's imaginary friend. I never once got the impression he was being condescending or lacking in patience with Big Bird. He was very kind and made sure Big Bird understood what he was teaching him. When I was a child, I spent a lot of time in hospitals having surgeries. I didn't have many friends. Mr. Rogers and his imaginative world became my friend (along with David the Gnome, Rainbow Brite and the Care Bears. I liked following the little train into the Land of Make-Believe because it made me forget my own for a while and I could be happy. I do think Tom Hanks is flawlessly cast as Mr. Rogers. He is, by far, the best choice to play this good friend. I can think of no one better. I would highly recommend this film who anyone who enjoys Mr. Rogers. I would highly recommend this film if you enjoyed watching Mr. Rogers as a child. It is an epic, emotionally-rich nostalgic masterpiece.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Marielle Heller
Cast: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi, Chris Cooper
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, is a heartwarming story of kindness triumphing over cynicism. Based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod, this film follows Lloyd, a jaded magazine writer, (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) who is assigned to write a profile of Fred Rogers. Along the way, he overcomes his skepticism, and learns a valuable lesson about empathy, kindness, and friendship from the world’s most beloved neighbor.
Emotion plays a powerful theme in the movie and nowhere is it more perfectly illustrated than in the character of Mr. Rogers (Tom Hanks) himself.
For Fred Rogers, he didn’t want to be regarded as just another children’s television host. He truly wanted to be the child’s friend and create a sincere emotional connection with each child who saw him. We see one way this is illustrated when Lloyd Vogel visits Mr. Roger at the studio for the first time. He sees Mr. Rogers on the stage speaking to a little boy who is wearing an oxygen cannula. Although his TV crew was very impatient and frustrated, trying to get Mr. Rogers to focus on filming his show, Mr. Rogers took his time to talk with the child. He told the child that he was very brave…and as he spoke to the little boy and showed him compassion, the child reached out and hugged him…returning that connection.
Mr. Rogers shows the same respect to Lloyd, even before they are introduced in person. When he calls Lloyd to schedule the interview, he tells Lloyd that the most important thing to him in that moment was talking to Lloyd Vogel. When he sees Lloyd watching him at the studio, he stops filming the show to go and greet him personally. When they are talking during the interview, Mr. Rogers asks Lloyd how he got hurt. While Lloyd is initially reluctant to talk, he finds himself confiding the truth to Mr. Rogers that he and his father had been in a fight. And in truth, Lloyd feels that emotional connection to Mr. Rogers, as well. While he initially regards this assignment as a puff piece because he feels that Mr. Rogers is not as significant as some of his other subjects, after meeting him for the first time, Lloyd seemed to recognize what so many others have found endearing about Mr. Rogers; his uniquely empathetic heart and his desire to connect with people.
The emotional connection between Lloyd and Mr. Rogers is illustrated again when Lloyd visits Mr. Rogers in New York. When he asks Mr. Rogers why he addresses such dark subjects like death and war on his show and why he lets people tell him their problems, the answer to this question comes in a uniquely beautiful way. He introduces Lloyd to his friends, Daniel Tiger and King Friday. When Lloyd asks Mr. Rogers why he does not replace the puppets, Mr. Rogers tells him that although these puppets are tattered and careworn, they are his dear and precious friends, and he couldn’t replace them with new puppets because doing so would be like discarding his friend. When Mr. Rogers asks Lloyd if he had a special friend as a child, Lloyd tells him about his favorite childhood toy, Old Rabbit. He tells Mr. Rogers that his mother gave him this toy and that she died when he was just a child.
When Lloyd’s estranged father has a heart attack, rather than staying at the hospital with his family, Lloyd finds himself yearning to be back in Pittsburgh with Mr. Rogers. As he returns to Mr. Roger’s neighborhood, Lloyd has a dream about being in the Land of Make-Believe with Mr. Rogers and his friends. He confides his emotions to them and then, he sees his mother. I think in this moment, Lloyd finds peace because he can finally relinquish all that anger that he had been shackled to since her death.
And in creating that emotional bond with Mr. Rogers, I think this is what also heals the bond between Lloyd and his family. While he is initially very angry with his father…enough to fight with him…after he sees Mr. Rogers, he looks out the window again and his father isn’t there. For all his anger, Lloyd looks like a sad, lonely little boy as he sits in the window. When his father is dying, Lloyd initially runs away from his feelings, but in the end, Mr. Rogers inspires Lloyd to reconnect with his family and allow them to see the emotions he has been hiding for so long so that he may finally find peace in his relationship with his father.
I remember when Mr. Rogers came to Sesame Street and taught Big Bird about real and pretend (it was an episode where Snuffalupagus was still Big Bird's imaginary friend. I never once got the impression he was being condescending or lacking in patience with Big Bird. He was very kind and made sure Big Bird understood what he was teaching him. When I was a child, I spent a lot of time in hospitals having surgeries. I didn't have many friends. Mr. Rogers and his imaginative world became my friend (along with David the Gnome, Rainbow Brite and the Care Bears. I liked following the little train into the Land of Make-Believe because it made me forget my own for a while and I could be happy. I do think Tom Hanks is flawlessly cast as Mr. Rogers. He is, by far, the best choice to play this good friend. I can think of no one better. I would highly recommend this film who anyone who enjoys Mr. Rogers. I would highly recommend this film if you enjoyed watching Mr. Rogers as a child. It is an epic, emotionally-rich nostalgic masterpiece.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.