A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

[FragnitoM]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

Not a fan of Diary of a Teenage Girl? I thought it was a pretty great movie, especially for being a debut!

I was meaning to say two great films in back to back years

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by FragnitoM

I was meaning to say two great films in back to back years

This is her third film though.

[y2jman]

I saw it tonight and enjoyed very much I actually didn't think couldn't get a reserved took phone out at 6:02 while ford movie was on lucky able to do it amc a list despite movie started at 6 pm

[FragnitoM]

Originally Posted by y2jman

I saw it tonight and enjoyed very much I actually didn't think couldn't get a reserved took phone out at 6:02 while ford movie was on lucky able to do it amc a list despite movie started at 6 pm

I’m getting so lucky because there are now a few theaters within a couple miles of me and everyone goes to the theaters with recliners leaving the closest one to to me with regular stadium seating usually pretty empty—I’ve seen so many movies alone it’s great!

[The Great Owl]

Four stars

In 1998, journalist Tom Junod was assigned by Esquire magazine to write a story about the world-renowned television personality, Fred Rogers, for a special issue about American heroes. The resulting article, "Can You Say ... Hero?", and the ensuing friendship between the two men form the basis of the 2019 biographical drama, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which substitutes Junod with a fictional counterpart, Lloyd Vogel, played by Matthew Rhys, while his beloved interview subject is portrayed by Tom Hanks.

This film, which was brought to the screen under the capable hands of director Marielle Heller, is not so much a biopic as it is a cinematic incarnation of the show, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, complete with the familiar camera pan over the model buildings and trolleys of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe before our host makes his entrance to don the cardigan zipper sweater and blue sneakers. When the details of Lloyd's estranged relationship with his father, played by Chris Cooper, come to light shortly after he meets Rogers, our cynical lead is gradually disarmed by his interviewee, who reminds him of the importance of empathy and of the need for all adults to remember their childhood years.

My initial reaction to the trailers for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was one of wariness, since the premise comes across as an “Oscar bait” exercise in reassuring, but somewhat forced feel-good theatrics. Like the kind-hearted Mister Rogers himself, however, this film made its way past my defenses with ease, thanks to a low-key narrative that defies heavy-handed grandstanding.

Hanks, an accomplished recipient of multiple Academy Award wins and nominations, is simply a supporting actor in this tale, but he captures the mannerisms and vocal inflections of his character so well that I hope and expect to see him nominated yet again, even if he does not quite exude the same sense of reserved openness that the actual Fred Rogers showed whenever he was in front of a camera. Rhys's Lloyd Vogel is not the most pleasant lead in the world through most of this film, but his own dramatic talents come to light during his character arc. Susan Kelechi Watson impresses in her role as Vogel's understanding wife, while Cooper, whom I have long admired because of his believable supporting performances, commands attention whenever he is on the screen.

This outing does not quite make my top tier list of 2019 simply because of its inherent predictability, but its message is one that deserves an audience now more than ever. I am glad that I spent an afternoon in this neighborhood and that I left with a smile.

[ImBlu_DaBaDee]

I was not overly familiar with Fred Rogers or Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood so I watched an episode as well as an old interview on YouTube before I saw this film. I’m glad I did because it helped me appreciate the decision that was made to not make this film an overly sentimental biopic but rather a fictional story inspired by a real hero and framed in the style of an episode of the show. Very clever screenwriting and direction. The performances were great. I thought Tom Hanks made a much better Fred Rogers than Walt Disney, and this was some of the best work I’ve seen him do recently. I found the man and the message to be very touching and endearing. The cinematic equivalent of a warm hug.

8/10

[lion23c]

I have a question. Do i have to know who this man was to understand the movie?

[JayTL]

Originally Posted by lion23c

I have a question. Do i have to know who this man was to understand the movie?

I'd say no, but it definitely helps

Maybe watch the documentary too?

[JimRochester]

Saw this the other night on BR. Willing to be the contrarian and say I didn't find it all that good. Focus was on an unlikeable character and his finding forgiveness for his father. Mr. Rogers was merely the vessel or vehicle for that discovery. When he's not doing the show but still giving that same slow delivery I found it creepy. It was a 3*, OK rental. Glad I didn't blind buy the movie. I do have Sully which I like and Mr. Banks as well. Both were superior biopics in my opinion.