A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

Directed by: Marielle Heller | 109 minutes | biography, drama | Actors: Tom Hans, Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper, Susan Kelechi Watson, Maryann Plunkett, Enrico Colantoni, Wendy Makkena, Tammy Blanchard, Noah Harpster, Carmen Cusack

We hardly know him in the Netherlands, but in the United States Fred Rogers (1928-2003) is a childhood hero for many. Between 1968 and 2001 ‘Mister Rogers’ was featured in the children’s program ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’, which he invented himself, in which he did not shy away from discussing heavy topics such as death, disease, divorce and politics. Rogers was praised for not looking down on or patronizing children, but talking to them seriously at a child level. The focus was not on the educational or cognitive element, but on the feeling and emotion. He also addressed social issues such as education, tolerance and self-esteem. The program was his life’s work: he wrote all 912 episodes and produced 900, wrote some 200 songs and thirteen operas and sang many of them himself, invented all the characters (both the puppets and the human characters) and also played most of the puppets. He was also involved in the design of the characteristic set pieces. With his characteristic red or blue vests, his slow way of speaking and always friendly tone, Rogers was for many an amiable confidant who managed to get you right through the TV screen.

It’s worth remembering just how iconic Rogers is to Americans before you watch ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ (2019), because director Marielle Heller’s film (‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’, 2018) assumes that the viewer is aware of it. ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ is therefore not a biography about Rogers, but a true story about a journalist who met him several times and on whom he made an indelible and ‘life-changing’ impression. In real life this man is called Tom Junod, but in the movie his name has been changed to Lloyd Vogel and he is played by Matthew Rhys. Vogel is the textbook example of the embittered, cynical investigative journalist for Esquire who in all his pieces scavenges at everyone and has not exactly endeared himself. He and his wife Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson) have a newborn son and his newfound fatherhood brings back a lot of old grief. When he unexpectedly bumps into his father Jerry (Chris Cooper) at his sister’s wedding, things go really wrong. Jerry left his family at the most difficult moment, when Lloyd’s mother was dying. He always blamed him for that. Just as his father comes back into his life, Lloyd is commissioned by his editor-in-chief (Christine Lahti) to write a portrait of Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks), something he is not looking forward to at all. However, the first meeting with Rogers, in between takes, triggers more than Lloyd could ever have imagined.

‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ focuses on the dynamics between two men who at first glance cannot be more different: the sour, hunted and tormented Vogel and the serene, patient and cheerful Rogers. The man with flaws versus the wrinkle-free icon. The cynical journalist initially feels superior to the good-natured TV maker, but is nevertheless captivated by him. Especially if Rogers starts asking him the questions and immediately touches the nerve. Heller cultivates Rogers’ enigmatic personality: like Vogel, you regularly wonder whether he really is like that or just plays a very convincing role. Wrapped in a warm nostalgic atmosphere, the film cherishes the mystique surrounding Rogers and pays a playful tribute to his legendary television program by showing a beautiful and detailed diorama of each location, entirely in the spirit of ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’. The story is of course not entirely unpredictable or original, but the screenplay by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster (which was shelved for years because it would be unfilmable) does stand out in the way in which things are served. Here too, a good look has been taken at what suits Rogers: strong themes are served in a mild, manageable way, at a rippling pace. That could get boring and long-winded, but thanks to the great performances of both Hanks and Rhys, it never will.

Hanks, who earned an Oscar nomination for his role and won several awards, captures the spirit of Rogers perfectly (it probably helps that he himself, like Rogers, has an honest and amiable image, so that people also accept him in this role ) and has flawlessly adapted the mannerisms and typical slow way of speaking (according to the actor himself one of the most difficult things about this role. You immediately believe that this was a man who could reassure you, with whom you could tell your story and who managed to gain your trust without any effort. But who was behind Rogers? We don’t get to see that here. “Nobody’s perfect” is about all Hanks’ Rogers lets loose about his own past. Had this been a biography of Rogers, the film would have fallen seriously short of this. But ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ doesn’t pretend to be a biography of the illustrious childhood friend. This is a true story about the development of a special friendship, which lasted until the death of Rogers in 2003. It is a quest by Lloyd Vogel (or rather Tom Junod) for (self) acceptance, understanding and forgiveness: he learns how he can look the demons of his past in the eye. And it’s a film about fatherhood: not only in the bond between Lloyd and his own father, but also in that with his newborn son. Hanks is widely acclaimed, but Rhys is also strong in a role that goes much deeper emotionally than that of his opponent. You can see his transformation coming in advance, but the road to it offers Rhys plenty of opportunity to show what he has to offer; an opportunity that he grabs with both hands.

The sets of ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’, the cardigans Rogers wears and the well-thumbed dolls he’s been using for years; there is something pleasantly corny about them and a nostalgia for earlier, less complicated times. Even if you don’t know who Fred Rogers was and what his impact was on American youth, ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ exudes an atmosphere that we certainly recognize as such. Who Rogers really was, remains a big question mark even after seeing this film. Those who really want to look into the soul of Fred Rogers will find in the documentary ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ (2018) probably more answers. For example, it also extensively considers Rogers’ background as a pastor, something that naturally shaped him. But Heller shows with this rock-solid but honest and gentle drama what impact he could have on mere mortals.