Release Date: January 31st 2020
In 1998, journalist Tom Junod was assigned by his Esquire magazine editor to conduct a written profile of cherished TV personality Fred Rogers. As a result the article, namely published ‘Can You Say… Hero?’ became one of the writers most noticeable works, but what’s all the more striking is Junod’s claim that his encounters with Rogers were powerful enough to personally change his perspective on life.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, starring Tom Hanks as the charming Mr. Rogers, and, Matthew Rhys as jaded journalist, Lloyd Vogel, is a drama directly inspired by these events. The story is partially presented to us in the form of a feature length episode of ‘Mister Rogers Neighbourhood.’ Its biggest strength being the lovingly recreated TV set, from director Marielle Heller, who made the artistic decision to shot to the shows original specifications on vintage cameras, giving these segments of the film a brilliant authentic feel. From the get-go, Hanks performance here is charming, warm and welcoming. Something that’s soon stripped away as we’re introduced to Lloyd’s all the more grounded reality.
Lloyd Vogel is a gifted, successful writer and a new-found father to a healthy baby boy. He’s also an undeniable cynic, something that stems from a harsh fallout with his own absent father (Chris Cooper) that accumulated after his mother’s death. For Lloyd, this attitude is permeating its way into his professional life under the guise of an ever worsening reputation. He’s nothing but skeptical upon being tasked to compose a 400 word profile on America’s beloved children’s TV presenter, labelling the assignment as simple fluff journalism, insisting that he only covers the serious stuff.
Surprisingly for him though, getting to know Fred Rogers is what causes the journalist’s reluctance to dissolve and evidently allows him to open-up, grow, and, mend what’s fractured.
Slowly witnessing this change of heart is the emotional crux here, and, while affecting, its not enough to pull the film above anything but average. If emotion and all-round well delivered performances pull the feature up, the sometimes punishingly slow pacing is what drags it back down. While the TV stations studio set is an astonishing technical achievement, the constant runtime shift between vintage and modern is jarring, overall affecting the plot in a disjointed manner. Something that’s best demonstrated in an outlandish fever dream experienced from Lloyd during the second act.
This is a film that’s also extremely over sentimental at times, though that doesn’t take away from the wonderful job it does of encapsulation compassion, connection, and, kindness. While it will must likely only hold the deepest meaning for those who grew up watching Mr. Rogers in their homes, it still remains impactful.
Despite its flaws, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood is very human. Enough to warm your heart a little, and, sometimes that’s just what we need.
