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
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