A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Film Review

Synopsis

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood tells the story of the relationship between investigative journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) and beloved children's television host Mr. Rogers (Tom Hanks). Hired to do a piece on heroes, Lloyd meets Mr. Rogers and get more than he bargained for. Throughout the film, Mr. Rogers helps Lloyd to better his relationships in life and see the goodness in humanity.

Review

The film is surprisingly inventive (surprising because it's a biography about a relatively simplistic man). The entire film is framed as a Mister Rogers episode. I thought that was cool and a very interesting way to approach the story.  All the cast did a phenomenal job, but it’s really a two-hander between Rhys and Hanks. Tom Hanks' performance is awards worthy, but this year, there is a crowded field so we’ll see. Rhys' cynical journalist and Hanks' Rogers work together very well. It seems a little hokey and unoriginal (bad guy turned good), but the performances are so great and it's done so well, it is a creative re-imagining. It's a nice message, so it's fine. As an aside, the transitions in the film are done with miniatures, just like in Mr. Rogers' show. I liked the miniatures, I thought they were cute. The film is well directed and written and is surprisingly funny. I like Marielle Heller's work. I really liked last year's Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018), so it was great to see her crush it again. I feel that this film embodies the spirit of Mr. Rogers: never rushed but always devoted to getting at the heart of something.