A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Don't ruin my childhood, what most people would be asking the director not to do when going to see a movie about Mr. Rogers. But as it turns out, a movie with big shoes to fill manages to catch the nostalgia of those watching and not harm the legacy. Mr. Rogers doesn't even turn out to be the main character in the film. It turns from the biographical film one would expect to a character study of a writer dealing with personal issues who is doing a piece on Rogers. Tom Hanks perfectly encapsulates the characteristics and mannerisms of Fred Rogers, making it sometimes hard to remember they are not the same person, While it is Hanks' first academy award nomination in 20 years, it is most deserved for his bringing Rogers back to life. A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood plays out almost like an hour and a half episode of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, even beginning with Rogers' traditional 'Hello Neighbor' and then talking about our writer Lloyd Vogel and how he is hurting, on the inside and out. The film then progresses through a snapshot of Vogel's life as he deals with his issues with this father and how he turns from a cynic to an idealist. He must come to terms with his father and the issues of being his own child's parent. All with the help of seeing the true optimism and genuineness of Fred Rogers and his show. If there was one complaint for the film it would be that Andrea Vogel, Lloyd's wife, is incredibly unsupportive of his grievances towards his father. I understand that it was necessary to push the character forward but the things that were done to him as a child seemed deeper than what his wife was showing.

That would be the one and only issue as Tom Hanks just steals the scene whenever he is on screen and mesmerizes with his ability to conduct the spirit of Mr. Rogers into the audience. It is easily an A film with only a little room to grow for that A+.