A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
In her masterful follow-up to Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Marielle Heller delivers nothing short of a miracle with A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, a loving tribute to Fred Rogers and all that this warm, complicated man stood for.
Key to this immaculate conception is the script from Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster — the team that just weeks ago gave us Maleficent: Mistress of Evil — that utilizes the brilliant framework of a long, weird, and ultimately extremely rewarding episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Viewers who wax nostalgic and get somewhat misty-eyed at the program’s theme song and introductory sights are in for a treat that only grows with emotional complexity and creativity.
Though you wouldn’t know it from the promotional materials (or the title), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is more about journalist Tom Junod — here reworked as the fictional Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) — than Rogers, whose “very special episode” examines the Esquire writer’s personal journey in the late 1990s.
Excellent at Rhys is at portraying a man tormented by demons, most of them rooted in unresolved drama with his suddenly peace-seeking father Jerry (Chris Cooper, where ya been?), the film’s clear attraction is seeing America’s favorite actor play one of its greatest public figures.
In an example of obvious yet essential casting, Tom Hanks is a natural fit for Rogers — sounding and looking just the right amount unlike the iconic television star for the performance to come off as sweet and respectful rather than uncanny and creepy.
His unwavering kindness and purposeful way of slowing things down wherever he goes is a pleasant reminder of the unusual pace of Rogers’ show and the concentration it inspired in those willing to be his neighbor for a half hour at a time.
Fittingly, the film’s strongest magic arises through direct connections to the show, including imaginative expansions of its beloved miniature sets as the story shifts between Rogers’ Pittsburgh studio base and Lloyd’s life in Manhattan.
The pair’s interactions on the recreated WQED sound stage and in vulnerable public spaces in the Big Apple are enough to break down even the most hardened viewers’ cynicism, much like they gradually chip away at Lloyd’s long-standing walls.
Grade: A. Rated PG-13. Now playing at AMC Classic, Biltmore Grande, Carolina Cinemark, and Grail Moviehouse
(Photo: Lacey Terrel/TriStar Pictures)
