This film is beautiful because of how Mr Rogers holds unconditional positive regard towards everyone. His serenity and compassion are infectious. A beautiful message is hidden deep inside. Neighborhood is like having a conversation with an old friend. Nothing really amazing or unexpected happens, but it's a pleasant experience that makes you feel warm inside. While Tom Hanks never quite disappears into the role of Fred Rogers, he emulates the spirit of Mr. Rogers and that seems to be just as effective. In fact, if more people emulated Mr. Rogers, this world would be a better place.
If there is something like a wholesome movie, then this is it. Being from Germany and not having any reference to the real Mr. Rogers I find it of surreal to have person being nice to basically everybody. But I guess that's one of the points of the movie and if everyone would just try to be more like that Mrs Rogers guy I think the world would be a nicer place.
Gone but not forgotten.. me, you and Bob Ross will hang when I get up there Fred
Great acting as expected but, plot left much to be desired
"I hope you know that you made today a very special day by just your being you. There's no one in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are."
Having watched Won't You Be My Neighbor?, I was excited to watch this movie and see more of what had made me tear up the year before. To my surprise, it was not really the same thing and for that reason I enjoyed the movie even more. It is about forgiveness, compassion and losing someone. These are all things I have been through and it hit home pretty hard. I definitely recommend!
Hanks manages to carry the story of Mister Rogers with the same level of sincerity that was unique to Rogers' charm and power. This is not an easy task, because without careful handling it is very likely to come across as drippingly fake and cold.
As someone less familiar with Rogers (non-American who grew up without him on TV), I was also unfamilar with the story on which this movie was based on. For a relevant outsider, the framing was actually very useful for getting into who Rogers was in a wider cultural context. The framing also meant that time spent with Rogers was cut down, and oppurtunities to see how Rogers interacted outside of the small interview pieces was only shown in a few places.
Fundamentally, the film wanted to show the impact that Rogers had on the microcosm of a single person, and it did achieve that well. A good companion to the documentary also released about Mister Rogers.
Fred Rogers was a truly wonderful man, and Hanks embodies him well. He is a natural fit, after all! Wisely focuses on Vogel, the hardened journalist whose shell was broken by the love and compassion that was granted to him by Fred. A beautiful day in the neighborhood indeed, this a heartwarming film, mainly because the majority of it is true.
If you have a connection to or at least know who Fred Rogers is (was?) this will probably make much more sense than it did to me.
Nice acting but an incredibly dull story that takes you no where.
Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), journalist for a magazine with anger and resentment towards his father (Chris Cooper). Gets an assignment to write a piece about Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks).
Lloyd is used to not writing not so great things about those he interviews. Which is why not so many people want to work with him. Fred sees that as someone he can help see the brighter side of life.
I like how Lloyd is pretty much the one being interviewed. Also that Mr. Rogers is his shrink pretty much. Since Lloyd has no faith in humanity, he thinks he can find his dark secrets. Which is frustrating because Fred has none.
Tom Hanks is fabulous and Oscar worthy. Just like when Hanks played Walt Disney. He makes you wish the film was more about him and that he had more to do.
I loved this movie. The more I think about it, the more I like it. It's really the tale of the power and positive impact that genuine goodness can have on others. I felt like this did tell the tale of Fred Rogers, just not in a direct, shine-the-spotlight-on-him way--which from all the interviews I've ever seen and everything I've ever read about the man and his personality, seems an appropriate way to do it.
I think the fact that it's based on a true story makes it all the more impressive. I left the theater wanting to be a better and more genuine person that can make a positive impact on others. Can't say the last movie that had that kind of an impact on me.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a powerful and moving film about friendship and forgiveness. Based on a true story, investigative journalist Lloyd Vogel interviews children’s television entertainer Fred Rogers for an article, but it soon turns into something more as Rogers takes a personal interest in Vogel and his family. Both Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys give great performances; particularly Hanks, who really captures the spirit and personality of Rogers. Additionally, director Marielle Heller does a brilliant job at homaging the look and feel of the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood show by integrating faux segments of the show as part of the film’s narrative. Incredibly creative and inspiring, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbor is a touching film with a positive message.
I have never seen anything of mister roger (I'm Dutch and we didn't have it on television as far as i can remember), but nonetheless i think this captures the vision that is betrayed by mister rogers. I thought it was an amazing film and it really made me feel, I even teared up a bit (happy tears) when he asked us to think (for a minute) about the people who loved us it was so amazingly "simple" yet so accurate and deep. I could go on and on but I think the only thing I could really say is go watch the movie and enjoy. PS: The cast was casted brilliantly and Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys did an amazing job.
Any problems can be so much easier to solve if we could talk about it.
Horrah another huge long opinion - how angry is my 'fan' getting now?
This film really is not a biopic of Fred Rogers the iconic Mr. Rogers so if you go into this expecting that you will be disappointed. It is, and I have to say another, film about the fractured relationship between children and one or both or their parents or siblings. I get drama, and the general belief that people love to watch conflict, but it is starting to look like everyone in the world hated their parents and did not speak to them anymore. Similar to every ex-serviceperson in a film having been in Special Services and on a conflict zone frontline. So as such if you are an avid filmgoer you have seen this scenario play out many times in many styles.
This does not necessarily make A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood a bad film. It is not. Tom Hanks brings Fred Rogers back to life with his usual skill and aplomb particularly in his mannerisms, his stillness and calm. I did feel that there was an underlying creepiness to the performance in certain scenes that I never got from films and clips of the real Mr. Rogers. Chris Cooper pops up with his usual hard-ass unpleasant character role although this one has genuinely found redemption in the form of Dorothy before he tries to find his final redemption with his estranged son Lloyd.
Lloyd played by Cardiff-born actor Matthew Rhys is probably the weakest link for me. Not so much the acting but more the situation which seems to get more unlikely as it plays out. These father/son relationships always seem to be the same, a good bit of actorly, showy, conflict and wrapped up nice and neat. As wonderful as Fred Rogers was it is certain he could not just end years of anger and rowing with a few choice words and an impromptu ‘stare-out’. More obvious when the real journalist, Tom Junod, did not actually have a terrible conflict with his father who did not abandon his family, there were no wedding punch-ups. Having said this it is difficult to fit in a long-term friendship that made Junod reassess his whole macho attitude to being a man due to Rogers’ influence in just over ninety-minutes. So, no huge criticism then.
The focus of the film is rightly Vogel and Rogers to this extent the women do get side-lined somewhat, which is strange as the director is Marielle Heller a little bit more of the two women in these men’s lives to give a different perspective might have added a bit more interest but this is just my idea and certainly as the film is edited and shown it is not detrimental.
The recreation of the cities and towns as Mr. Rogers Neighborhood of Make-Believe as we transition between different scenes is a great artistic and clever device. Is Heller telling us that although this is set in the real world it is still all make-believe. Or have I booked myself a place in Pseud’s Corner? Nevertheless, I liked the idea.
All of the acting is exemplary and Heller has a top-notch cast to hand and her directing is good, trimming the fat of what could be a sappy and saccharine and getting to the nub of the story she wants to tell. The film is good and entertaining.
If you would like to see something that tells you more about Fred Rogers, the way he thought, his philosophy and outlook then A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood salutes this and even hints at the illness that ended his life, but it is not about this. I would recommend the 2018 documentary Won’t You Been My Neighbor by Morgan Neville, which is entirely about the man, his influence, the people he interacted with and is much more moving.
All in all A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a good ninety minutes of solid emotional entertainment packed through with good actors, including a welcome return to by big TV screen of Christine Lahti and Enrico Colantoni who I have not seen in much recently, I know they have worked full-time since the last time I saw them, I just mean I had not seen them for some time. It is real life as fantasy to fit in a story to be told that sort of played out in real life but it is not bad for that, it is a dramatic conceit that dramatists have been practicing for decades.
My only real and very petty complaint was Matthew Rhys veneers, I found them extremely distracting as they did not in the slightest bit look natural and I kept thinking they were ill-fitting dentures due to way he was talking
There’s no one in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.
- Fred Rogers
Gonna be honest, I really don’t care about Lloyd. They took one of the greatest humans to walk the planet and turned him into a dime store shrink. Hanks is so good in this that it was a crime not to have him in over half the movie. Some many storylines that could have been told. Such a major bummer. All my stars are for Mr. Hanks alone.
:necktie::tv:
This is going to be a critically acclaimed movie and even though I got to high five Tom Hanks at the TIFF premier I’m going to say it was just okay. Early tugs on the heart strings for the opening and closing MrRoger’s scene but the rest of the story was predictable. Why not tell Fred Roger’s story? Why can’t it be a story about a good man who gave to his community and what that meant in his life? To his family and to,his coworkers? Why did it have to be about yet another disfunctional guy that hates his father? It was okay. I’m glad I went for free.
There’s never really a role that Tom Hanks does bad, he just makes some better movies than others. This is one of the roles he kills, but the plot isn’t the greatest thing in the world. Growing up watching Mister Rogers, this set off all sorts of nostalgia, but I failed to get overly invested in what’s happening in the movie. Frankly, it made me want to watch some Mister Rogers, but not really revisit the movie again anytime soon. This movie is worth watching for the simple fact it’s Hanks & Rogers. Two of the most iconic people ever on television wrapped into one. I would also recommend the documentary that came out around the same time.
Rating: 3/5 - 7.5/10 - Worth Watching
amazing movie, really enjoyed every minute of it
I did not want to watch this... but my wife made me. However, it was pretty good.
7.5/10
Ali Yapar & Dann Michalski reviews below are spot on...
What a trojan horse of a movie! I really liked it, but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. The surrealist elements were utilised well.
I liked the family story - but it wasn't my cup of tea with the way it was shot. Very slow too
What a positively charming and endearing film
For those a little afraid that this is a film that will dump on your childhood friend, fear not. It is actually more about the man who was sent to interview Mr. Rogers and this movie is inspired by the resulting Esquire article written by Lloyd Vogel (reprinted here https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a27134/can-you-say-hero-esq1198/). Even though Tom Hanks was nominated for innumerable awards, I think Matthew Rhys is the window to the heart of this movie and a beautiful job he does. The supporting cast is wonderful. The story, like the article, is a balm to a thirsty heart. I give this film a 7 (good) out of 10. [Drama]
Wow! What an amazing movie. This movie will touch your soul. The story telling method was inspired.
This is the rare film that makes me feel awkward trying to describe as it is indescribable. I felt the movie on such a deep and profound level that I was exhausted as it ended. It was nothing like I thought it was going to be and more than I hoped it would be. I can't say anything more than would do it justice.
For those of you that were looking for more story... you completely missed the movie.
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Tom Hanks was a frequent flyer on Lolita Express. The fact that he is playing Rogers is revolting.
Checked it out for Hanks, quickly quit as it was way too boring.
i trully loved this movie! simple and beautiful!
If I am completely honest the movie felt rather pointless. The plot about Vogel was too generic. The end too predictable. His journey void of emotions. It sure didn't evoke any in me.
I didn't know who Mr Rogers was but I found him a bit creepy. Maybe some more of his background, which I initially thought this movie to be, would have helped me. A strange fellow.
To sum this up I'd say these are two half-movies that don't make a whole one.
I just realized this was my 2000th comment on trakt :astonished:
"Offers a powerfully affecting message about acceptance and understanding."
It’s ok. Best viewed during the Holidays.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’:
It's sad that after Can You Ever Forgive Me?, filmmaker Marielle Heller only came up with this.
watch the documentary, massively superior to this
Brilliantly constructed and filled with fine performances, the move somehow feels slightly hollow and wanting. Maybe I wanted it to be more about Fred Rogers. Maybe I wanted it to hew closer to real life. Maybe what I wanted was a deeper, more enriched film than the documentary Won't You Be My neighbor?, which is, of course, an impossible ask... Maybe it's just better to watch this and then follow it up with the documentary instead of the other way around. Go out on an up note.
[REVIEW] #ABeautifulDayMovie 10/10 stars - I almost gave this 9 stars because of tiny continuity errors I noticed but then I imagined Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers asking me why I'm afraid to love with my whole heart and TEN STARS IT IS, MR ROGERS!
I've read people's comments about and there are articles about how this is not a Mr. Rogers movie and he is only a character in Lloyd's story. Respectfully, I completely disagree.
Mr. Rogers probably doesn't have over 50% of the screentime, it's true. But there are movies about Santa Claus without him on screen very much. There are stories about magic where very little magic actually happens. There are stories about joy that mostly contain despair but that doesn't make them any less about joy and more about despair. There are stories with a big MacGuffin, yes, but there are other stories that revolve distantly around the most vital component and I submit that this is an example of the latter.
Mr. Rogers frames the movie. He starts it, he ends it, and every proper act break where a meaningful action has consequences involves Mr. Rogers in a way that could only be enacted by exactly him. Lloyd is the MacGuffin. Everything in Lloyd's arc is stuff that could happen to anybody, anywhere, and only exists in this story to give Mr. Rogers situations in which to be kind in a way we should all aspire to emulate. You could 100% replace Lloyd and his life with any other "broken people" and the story would have just as much of an impact on the audience and just as much plot and meaning.
Tom Hanks, in possibly the most Mr Rogers way, doesn't steal the scenes, though you might be tempted just to give them to him. He does less of an impression of Fred and more of a careful study, akin to an apprentice's work resembling his master's. The supporting actors support the HECK out of this film, with extra light shining from Maryann Plunkett as Joanne Rogers and Maddie Corman as Lady Anberlin. Matthew Rhys and Chris Cooper furiously and gently chew on our emotions more than the scenery.
But Tom Hanks. Mercy!
This film made me anxious during the fights, made me cry in the silence, and made me laugh at the wonder. Please see it.
A nice wholesome movie. Tom Hanks was perfect casting as Mr. rogers. It’s emotional and directed very well. One of the best dramas of year
Shout by Neal MahoneyVIP 8BlockedParent2019-11-23T22:11:19Z
A wholesome movie that felt like it was missing something. It's fine but after seeing the documentary last year this wasn't as emotional. Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers is perfect casting. I wish we got more of him.