By Shane Hernandez, Contributing Writer
A little over a year ago, a little documentary called “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” won our hearts over by sharing the life of Fred Rogers with us. Through it we learned about him and how he created “Mister Rogers Neighborhood”. I grew up watching the show when I was at my grandmother’s house, learning how to make food coloring or how crayons were made. When it was revealed that a biopic on Fred Rogers was going to be made. I was fearful that another individual wouldn’t be able to capture the spirit of Mr. Rogers, even if one of my favorite actors, Tom Hanks, was attached to the project. Sure enough, he pulled it off excellently.
For those unfamiliar with Mr. Rogers, he made it his mission to reach out to every kid that watched his program. To make sure that each one of them knew they were unique and special with a purpose on this earth. Dealing with problems such a divorce, death and war to audiences of five year olds. Though Tom Hanks doesn’t have the same soft gentle voice of Fred Rogers, he manages to capture it all with his mannerisms and subtle looks.
Even though Tom Hanks has the charm of Mr. Rogers, this isn’t about him. The story focuses on writer Lloyd Vogel (played by Matthew Rhys) from Esquire Magazine. Vogel is traditionally an investigative reporter who has grown to be quite cynical through life, unable to face his family problems. It’s through Fred Rogers that he learns kindness and forgiveness, giving him a new found perspective of his childhood and future as a father. Though the film is very fictionalized, it’s not trying to be an accurate story. Instead we’re implied to be visiting “the land of make believe”, where things are similar to Tom Junod’s accounts of his article “Can You Say… Hero”.
One major question I had going into this film was, did the creative force understand Mr. Rogers? The art direction and writing of this film truly did seem like they grew up understanding Director Marielle Heller’s vision. Parts of the film had been shot on and with equipment from the original show of ‘Mister Rogers Neighborhood’, even including original crew members. It actually felt like I was watching a long episode of ‘Mister Rogers Neighborhood’. Though I was unfamiliar to her previous films, she had a very unique vision, cementing herself as one of my favorite new directors of the decade.
At a certain point during the film, we’re asked to think of someone in our life or who has been our lives that has that has shaped us in our lives. For one minute, this film brought me back to by grandmother who my family lost 5 years ago. For one minute I was there with her, hugging her, and it felt like Mr. Rogers was able to make that happen.
When “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” got subbed at the Oscars, I was deeply disappointed. Awards aren’t everything, but it feels like they’re the only thing that audiences give attention to now. “A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood” deserves just as much recognition, if not more. It could very well be nominated for it’s performances, directing or even best picture. I don’t expect it to win but the film has moved me into caring, sung me into singing and brought me back to the Neighborhood.
In these times, we can all use a little Mr. Rogers. Through this film we learn it’s not all about Mr. Rogers. It’s about how we as humanity can carry out his practices of kindness and love. Just remember whether you like this film or not, I like you just the way you are, there’s not a person in the world like you. Except you, yourself.
