Cinephile № 833 “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Recommendation: 5/5 Stars, SHOWTIME

Plot: “Based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and, journalist, Lloyd Vogel.” -IMDB

Review: Looking at the life of Mister Rogers (Tom Hanks) from afar, I understand the cynicism. In a world that seems so cruel, the idea of someone so kind, caring, and loving must have seemed like an elaborate hoax. When Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) was assigned to write a short article about the famous children’s show host, he approached the story with the same level of cynicism many of us would have felt. Over the course of numerous conversations and interactions, Vogel discovered the truth. Luckily for us, he shared that truth with the world in a brilliantly written Esquire article which serves as the basis for this film.

For his part, Hanks is the pure embodiment of Mister Rogers. I cannot vividly imagine another actor attempting this role. His approach is one of deep caring and love personified. This love becomes apparent over the course of several genuine conversations. Vogel approaches with a wish to be done with the story as soon as possible, but Rogers being who Rogers was, takes an interest in Vogel. He is fascinated by his family and the demons of his past he is battling. As the article becomes about Vogel instead of Rogers, we learn the persona…