A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Review

Mr. Rogers was a staple of children’s entertainment in the United States. He was known for being wholesome and educational. But he did more than entertain children; he also helped adults with their problems as shown in the film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) is a cynical journalist writing for Esquire Magazine. He is given the assignment to profile Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) for the American heroes’ issue. Lloyd’s simple 400-word assignment turns into a bigger personal and professional experience as he looks into what makes Mr. Rogers tick and faces up to his own familial issues.

Two-thirds through the film Lloyd writes his articles and when his wife (Susan Kelechi Watson), read the article she states it’s not really about Mr. Rogers. This was a good summary of the film as a whole because it was really Lloyd’s story and Mr. Rogers was a part of it. The film opens with Mr. Rogers hosting his show where he introduces Lloyd and states he can’t forgive the person who hurt him.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood had two main themes. The first was about father-son relations and it was done in three ways. The most obvious was the relationship between Lloyd and his father, Jerry (Chris Cooper). Lloyd had disowned his father for abandoning his family and at first, his view seems to be justified because at a family wedding Jerry was drunk and goaded Lloyd. However, as the film progresses Jerry attempts to make amends and Lloyd kept pushing him away. It was like a reverse of a film like The Wrestler because the focus was on the child rejecting the ailing father who had come back. Lloyd does come off as cruel and a jerk as he eviscerates his father.

Because of Lloyd’s strains relationship with his father the journalist struggles to bond with his own newborn. Lloyd has the unspoken fear that he could end like his father. Lloyd was unable to cuddle his baby and basically seems lost when he has to look after Gavin. Lloyd was a man who deals with situations by burying himself with his work.

The final way the father-son theme came through Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rogers had two sons and despite them never been shown in the film there were issues between the father and sons. Even though Mr. Rogers says he’s proud of his sons he still felt some still some pain.

The other major theme in the film was anger and how to deal with it. The filmmakers were blatant with it. When Lloyd visits Mr. Rogers for the episode he was filming was focused on anger and it continues from there. During the interviews Mr. Rogers to get Lloyd to open up about his feelings and acted more like a counsellor. Lloyd never learned how to handle his anger in healthy ways.

As a Brit I did not grow up on Mr. Rogers: my only knowledge of him comes from references in The Simpsons and Family Guy. Lloyd states Mr. Rogers’ show did look at heavy subject matter like divorce and death which reminded of Sesame Street. Sesame Street was a show that wanted to educate children about real subjects so they know how to deal and Mr. Rogers was doing the same. The aim of these shows was to get children ready for the real world and not sugar-coat things. And Mr. Rogers does the same for Lloyd.

Tom Hanks was a great bit of casting. Hanks doesn’t look like the real Mr. Rogers because Mr. Rogers was a slender figure whilst Hanks has a wider frame. But a performance does not just depend on looks as Hanks proves. Hanks has a reputation for being one of the nicest people in Hollywood and he channels that with his performance. He was gentle and patient no matter how obstructive someone is. But Hanks’ still has some hiding pain: he avoids showing any of his own pain and avoids Lloyd questions about how he deals with his issues. The film was able to honour the man and his message whilst also being a deeper examination of his character. I personally enjoyed the film addressing the rumours that Mr. Rogers was a Navy SEAL.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was Marielle Heller’s third film as a director. She made the film like a serious drama considering the familial themes and it looked more like an indie film. The film had a gritty look because the Vogel’s adaptation was fairly Spartan, the wedding looked like it took place in a community centre, and Mr. Rogers and Lloyd were shown to ride the New York subway.

Heller does also homage the show because of the use of models. As well as giving the film the look of Mr. Rogers’ shows the models were a budget-friendly way to show characters travelling or the passage of time. Heller was also about to have surreal moments which helped to make the film stand out visually.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was a touching film with some firm messages and excellent performance but was at times heavy-handed.