A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is far from the standard biopic I was expecting – and what a relief. It’s alive with the message and life work of Fred Rogers, but it isn’t directly about him. Instead, we come to know the singular vision of the famous children’s television host through a vicarious relationship with a cynical writer for Esquire. It’s a soft, somber film, but one that ultimately lifts the spirit through affectionate performances and subtle reaffirmations about the power of humanity.
Tom Hanks is, of course, wonderful as Mister Rogers, but what’s most impressive – and unexpected – is the adversarial quality his performance takes on. Let me explain. Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) is an angry man who can’t seem to come to terms with, or even define his issues. When he’s assigned an article about Mister Rogers, he is naturally suspicious of the man – he assumes Rogers’ benevolent outlook is an act of some kind – and brings that negativity with him to their first meeting. Rogers, who has a habit of seeing right into people, instantly recognizes the pain living within Lloyd and helps him begin the process of reflection and healing.
Mister Rogers doesn’t do this out of a sense of duty or responsibility, though. He does it instinctually, and to someone not open to the experience, his approach may seem confrontational. Rogers doesn’t press, needle, or goad Lloyd, he simply asks questions and waits patiently for a reply. Lloyd is used to seeing the worst in people and himself and is therefore taken aback by anyone who would offer help without asking for something in return. As the cynicism breaks down, Lloyd’s life begins to fall back into place.
Directed by Marielle Heller with the same earnestness and insight as Can You Ever Forgive Me? (a left-field favorite of mine from last year), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood never lets itself go down the easy and overused path into schmaltzy melodrama or unearned emotional resonance. In lesser hands, a much more obvious and linear approach would likely have been taken, with predictable results. Heller knows how to craft a story around sad people without making it entirely about that sad person. The realization that characters don’t exist in vacuums, that they are influenced by everyone around them for good or bad, shouldn’t be groundbreaking but somehow is with Heller’s work.
Heller showcases melancholic characters (Rogers included) but doesn’t insult us with the usual tidy ending where everyone is happy and fixed. No, by the film’s end, an acknowledgment or perhaps an agreement is made that we – audiences included – will work on ourselves and our relationships through honest reflection and acceptance. This is what Fred Rogers has been asking many of us to do since we were kids, and this is what A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood reflects beautifully.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.