A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood - Review

A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood

Two times Academy Award winner - five times nominated Tom Hanks and British actor Matthew Rhys noted for portraying for six season the TV character “Philip Jennings”,  aka Mischa, who was in actuality a Soviet KGB officer operating in the suburbs of Washington DC during the 1980’s with his family in the highly acclaimed FX series “The Americans bring their considerable acting talents together in the much anticipated true event story of Fred Rodger in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”.

Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American television personality, musician, puppeteer, writer, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was known as the creator, show-runner and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 to 2001. By some educational and child psychologist experts Fred Rogers through an almost angelic demeanor was in fact a genus in early childhood educational development in his willingness to talking about a who range of subjects ranging from the more playful sweet, adventurous and family oriented endearing subjects to far more weightier real life matters including divorce, anger and death to primarily an audience of adolescent children nationwide.

PLOT: In a rather straight forward story we see early journalist “Lloyd Vogel” (Rhys) who works for Esquire Magazine. He has been married for 8 years and he and wife Susan Kelechi “Andrea Vogel” (Susan Kelechi Watson) have had their first child; he is a happy man.

One day “Lloyd” is summoned to his supervisor office for a new assignment. To his astonishment and initial reluctance, he has been tasked to write a short 400-word piece on Fred Rogers aka “the TV puppet man”. But what “Lloyd” doesn’t realize is after their first meeting together “Fred” was quickly able discern he was in fact hiding some real pain of his own and through several subsequent face to face interviews “Lloyd” is not only able to come to terms with his hidden traumatic pain, but to be able to reconcile and offer forgiveness to all those who caused and contributed it. His life is transformed and enriched; his marriage is more improved and his depth of love for his child grows more by throwing away his prevailing tendency with burdensome skepticism by learning simply  being more empathetic, kind, forgiving and decent from America's most beloved neighbor and his new friend “Fred”.

REVIEW:  I must admit I was a bit surprised leaving the theater knowing I just saw a movie more about the reporter “Lloyd Vogel” life than “Mr. Rogers”. Don’t get me wrong the movie clearly makes enough of the central argument that “Fred’s kindness and emotional generosity were a powerful unassuming tool he used into making many people’s lives emotionally whole and healed. But, the arc of the entire film is all about the destructive broken places inside the “‘Lloyd” .

Now, I normally never impugn the motives nor the vision of a director or writer into telling their story as they see fit. But running 1:48 minutes, I could have accepted a little more running time if the film had delved into “Fred’s” back story, especially what events in his child hood were central into shaping him to becoming one of the most popular and admired figures in American TV culture, especially as it pertains to raising and talking with children. Instead, from the trailers I saw I felt slightly deceived with its sanctimoniousness to think that I or anyone else would care more about the pain and healing “Lloyd Vogel” than the potential “ups and downs” (and we all have them) to the “Mr. Rogers”  backstory.

Tom Hanks was his typically compelling self even though in the first 10 minute there were a few faint moments I detected he was doing more of an impression of “Fred” and to the point it felt even slightly creepy. But overall as time went by, Hanks was able to round out his entire portrayal of this iconic figure by gaining some authentic emotional footing as to who he really was with another superb and excellent acting performance (especially the last 30 minutes). And while I don’t think this is his best work, he probably will still be considered heavily for another Oscar nomination this time in the Best Supporting Actor category. Some of the best and more emotional moving scenes in the film were when Hanks and Rhys are paired exclusively on the screen; sharing the same space.

The supporting cast lead by Oscar winner Chris Cooper (aka Seabiscuit trainer) as “Lloyd’s” father, Enrico Colantoni as Mr. Rogers’s handler, Susan Kelechi Watson as the wife and Christine Lahti as Esquire Magazine Editor were collectively good enough to balance out the story, but none of them actually seem to add anything meaningful to the film more than always being marginally and always appropriately dramatic when called for. Just human pivot points for ‘Lloyds” to continue to delve and dig more deeply into his personal struggles and inner demons.

In the end the film has real entertainment value, but I just kept hoping given it’s strong promotional glitz and Director Marielle Heller amazing previous work “Can You Ever Forgive Me” to have seen something with a little more of a crescendo more cinematically delectably delicious. In the same anticipatory way of sitting down to enjoy a table of White Star champagne, Foie gras and Beluga caviar. Instead, “A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood” is a lovely, soft-hearted and full of perfect sweetness film,,……. in fact, almost too perfect and too sweet. More like Pepperidge Farm Whole wheat bread, toasted and buttered with orange marmalade…………….not there is anything wrong with buttered toast and orange marmalade………….l mean I like it and so will you.

3.25 Stars