A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

Quirky, unique, beautiful, even dark yet moving, 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood' shatters all expectations and leaves you with a sense of peace and understanding. Featuring performances by the incomparable Tom Hanks who does a better Mr Rogers than Mr Rogers himself and the always transfixing Matthew Rhys, this will be a fitting and satisfactorily addition to the legacy of this adored American hero.
- Jess Fenton

Read Jess' full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighbourhood-mr-rogers-healing-the-world-one-lost-soul-at-a-time

Not what I was expecting. Better than I was expecting. What a genuinely interesting film, I felt I was given real insight. I have no way of knowing if that's true or not of course, but I felt it, and that arguably matters more when it comes to filmmaking.

_Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._

I have expectations when watching a Tom Hanks movie. He is one of the great actors, obviously, and he inhabits his roles. So when he plays an actual person, especially a familiar character like Mr. Rogers, there is a second level beyond nailing the character where he needs to give a nuanced performance, beyond just mimicking the traits. This is a tough role and he handles it well, I believe.

I am sure I knew at some point in the past that Mr. Rogers was a minister, but I had forgotten, so the religious aspects didn't do much for me. But I guess it is as good an explanation as any as to why he was such a relentlessly nice person. I am not a believer, but if all believers were like Mr. Rogers, I would have no issues with religion.

As a side note, and please indulge me here, our daughter is obsessive compulsive and when Queen Sara wasn't featured in an episode, she would throw a fit worthy of the Rain Man, so this was an important program in our house. (We learned to have an episode with the Queen on a vhs tape for those days when she didn't appear on the scheduled show.) so it was interesting for me to get a behind the scenes glimpse of the history and making of the show. But it doesn't overwhelm the plot either.

So I heartily recommend this movie. I also recommend the article this movie is based on. It is available online if you do a duck duck go search for it.

A lovely movie, especially for those of us who grew up watching Mister Rogers. It inspires compassion and reminded me, and I hope other viewers, that individual actions can and do make the world kinder and more peaceful. I found it a little slow in a few parts but is an overall engaging and clever film and not overly sentimental. Highly recommend.