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A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Despite imaginative touches in writing and direction and solid performances, the 2019 docudrama A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood wasn't everything it could have been, thanks primarily to an air of predictability that pervaded most of the proceedings.
The pre-release hype on this film was unlike anything I have seen in years and like a lot of movies in the last few years, was probably incorrectly marketed in order to get people into theaters to see it. If you're looking for a biopic on Fred Rogers, there is no such thing, you need to check out the documentary Won't You Be Neighbor?, which was vastly superior to this film.
This is the story of a writer for Esquire magazine named Lloyd Vogel, cynical and "broken", who has never gotten over the death of his mother for which he blames his father and has recently become a father himself. Vogel finds his life changed forever when his editor, who is on the verge of firing him, asks him to do an interview with legendary children's program icon Fred Rogers and the genuine and unexpected friendship that blossoms between these two very different people.
Screenwriters Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster have a provided a story that follows a pretty predictable path most of the way, but there are imaginative touches along the way, that work because this reporter is profoundly affected by his meetings with this TV icon, or at least we want to think that he is. I enjoyed the scene where Vogel passes out at the studio and wakes up as a part of Fred Rogers' imaginary neighborhood. Did find it a little troublesome that the screenplay tried to add layers to the character of Fred Rogers that I'm not so sure existed in his real life and were added here for the purpose of entertainment. Rogers' instant liking of Vogel borders on obsession and makes Rogers a little creepy, but I think that was done here to make this story a little more entertaining than it might have been when it actually happened to Vogel.
Director Marielle Heller, who directed Melissa McCarthy to an Oscar nomination in Can You Ever Forgive Me, brings a solid directorial hand to the proceedings, respecting not only the story being told, but the characters involved, especially Fred Rogers. The final moments onscreen with Fred Rogers on a dark soundstage are lovely.
Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks works very hard at being a believable Fred Rogers and it is a lovely performance, but Hanks never loses himself in the role the way this reviewer wanted him to. I was never able to forget I was watching Tom Hanks, but the performance is getting strong reviews and has earned the actor a Golden Globe nomination. Matthew Rhys, Emmy winner for The Americans offers a flashy performance as the tortured Lloyd Vogel and Oscar winner Chris Cooper is brilliant as his father. Also loved Susan Kelechi Watson as Lloyd's wife and Tammy Blanchard as his sister, but after everything I had heard about this film, it was a bit of a disappointment.
Despite imaginative touches in writing and direction and solid performances, the 2019 docudrama A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood wasn't everything it could have been, thanks primarily to an air of predictability that pervaded most of the proceedings.
The pre-release hype on this film was unlike anything I have seen in years and like a lot of movies in the last few years, was probably incorrectly marketed in order to get people into theaters to see it. If you're looking for a biopic on Fred Rogers, there is no such thing, you need to check out the documentary Won't You Be Neighbor?, which was vastly superior to this film.
This is the story of a writer for Esquire magazine named Lloyd Vogel, cynical and "broken", who has never gotten over the death of his mother for which he blames his father and has recently become a father himself. Vogel finds his life changed forever when his editor, who is on the verge of firing him, asks him to do an interview with legendary children's program icon Fred Rogers and the genuine and unexpected friendship that blossoms between these two very different people.
Screenwriters Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster have a provided a story that follows a pretty predictable path most of the way, but there are imaginative touches along the way, that work because this reporter is profoundly affected by his meetings with this TV icon, or at least we want to think that he is. I enjoyed the scene where Vogel passes out at the studio and wakes up as a part of Fred Rogers' imaginary neighborhood. Did find it a little troublesome that the screenplay tried to add layers to the character of Fred Rogers that I'm not so sure existed in his real life and were added here for the purpose of entertainment. Rogers' instant liking of Vogel borders on obsession and makes Rogers a little creepy, but I think that was done here to make this story a little more entertaining than it might have been when it actually happened to Vogel.
Director Marielle Heller, who directed Melissa McCarthy to an Oscar nomination in Can You Ever Forgive Me, brings a solid directorial hand to the proceedings, respecting not only the story being told, but the characters involved, especially Fred Rogers. The final moments onscreen with Fred Rogers on a dark soundstage are lovely.
Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks works very hard at being a believable Fred Rogers and it is a lovely performance, but Hanks never loses himself in the role the way this reviewer wanted him to. I was never able to forget I was watching Tom Hanks, but the performance is getting strong reviews and has earned the actor a Golden Globe nomination. Matthew Rhys, Emmy winner for The Americans offers a flashy performance as the tortured Lloyd Vogel and Oscar winner Chris Cooper is brilliant as his father. Also loved Susan Kelechi Watson as Lloyd's wife and Tammy Blanchard as his sister, but after everything I had heard about this film, it was a bit of a disappointment.