A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood                                                                             March 28, 2020

I never watched Mr. Rogers on TV. On the Lower East Side when a middle aged man wearing a red sweater, or more likely an old Budweiser t-shirt, invited you into his room nothing good came of it. Enough of my cynicism. This a wonderful touching movie. The film is not only about Mr. Rogers but also his relationship  Lloyd Vogel, the Esquire writer.

Tom Hanks wonderfully conveys the genuineness and sincerity of Mr. Rogers. For humans Mr. Rogers was too perfect and this idle was the root of Lloyd Vogel’s skepticism. Lloyd Vogel is damaged goods and it is hard for him to believe in the goodness of Mr. Rogers. The heart of the film is Vogel’s resurrection of humanity after meeting Mr. Rogers.

Tom Hanks’s acting is sublime. His mannerisms and intonation capture the real Mr. Rogers. It is not simply an impression but an dramatic interpretation. Aside from the ubiquitous red sweater Tom Hanks does not resemble Mr. Rogers but his acting transforms him. Hanks received an Oscar nomination for best actor.

Lloyd Vogel is  brilliantly played by the Welsh actor Matthew Rhys. He is not a fan of Mr. Rogers and feels the assignment to interview Rogers below him. His character has a lot of baggage mainly from a strained relationship with his father. Rhys conveys skepticism and wears  his pain on his face. His  reconciliation with his father comes from his friendship with Mr. Rogers. Chris Cooper plays the father who is trying to mend things with his son but does a poor job of it. Cooper is the consummate actor and  portrays Vogel’s father as  a self-centered irresponsible cad seeking forgiveness. 

The movie’s production design is very clever. Intermittently Lego like cities are shown to depict different locations. Mr. Roger’s TV set and puppets are also featured. This makes the story more believable. It is a true story.

I watched the movie on Netflix. I had no desire to see it in the movies since I thought it was silly, my loss. In a quarantine your choices are limited, a feel good movie is a terrific substitute for Haagen Dazs.