I attended an advanced screening for this review. All opinions are my own.
“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) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about kindness, love and forgiveness from America’s most beloved neighbor.”-©Tristar Pictures
I have been very excited to see A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Like many people, I grew up watching Mr. Rogers. I was also excited to see Tom Hanks’ portrayal of the icon. I loved A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
At first, I was worried that during the movie, I would just feel that I was watching Tom Hanks pretending to be Fred Rogers. I did not feel this way at all after the film. Tom Hanks transforms and becomes Mr. Rogers. His performance is near perfection. Matthew Rhys is wonderful as the character of Lloyd Vogel, a magazine writer who interviews Mr. Rogers. The movie is more of a focus on his character instead of Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rogers is more of a supporting character who helps Mr. Vogel with personal problems in his real life.
I loved the message of this movie. This movie is about the importance of family and forgiveness. These are two very important things that Matthew Rhys’ characters learn throughout the film. You may cry a bit watching this film.
I loved the little nods and tidbits that the filmmakers included and used to pay homage to the real Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The filmmakers used a lot of miniatures of neighborhoods, just like the television show. There are also scenes with Picture Picture and the Neighborhood of Make Believe. I loved these additions.
This movie is rated PG “for strong thematic material, a brief fight, and some mild language.” Although this movie is only PG, I would not necessarily say that it is a movie for kids. There is some pretty deep subject material that will be hard for little kids to comprehend. I would say that this movie would be appropriate for kids 10 and older, teens, and adults.
I loved A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. It is a definitely must see, especially if you are a Mr. Rogers fan.
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