Despite coming out in 2019, I just watched A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood last weekend and I was blown away. I grew up in the UK so the show, Mister Roger’s Neighborhood was not something I grew up with or was even familiar with. Actually, my only familiarity with the work of Fred Rogers is quite interesting.
How to Download A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like Tom Hanks, check him out also in Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, or The Terminal.
The Movie Review
Unexpected Impact
One of my all-time favorite Tom Hanks movies is The Burbs. The Burbs is a go-to movie for me if I need cheering up or just want to watch something that makes me laugh and it reminds me of my childhood. Well, in that movie, there is a scene where Tom Hank’s character, Ray is watching Mister Roger’s Neighborhood and he is singing along with the theme song! That is some crazy foreshadowing right there!
Surpassing Expectations
Even with that in mind and as much as I love Tom Hanks. I was sure that A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood as good as it probably was, would have most of its impact lost on me as I did not grow up with the show. Let me tell you, you do not need to know anything about Mister Roger’s Neighborhood to appreciate this. Granted, I am sure it will have way more impact if you did grow up with it, but this is just a lovely and heartfelt story all on its own.
Setting and Characters
It takes place in 1998 and our main character is a writer for Esquire called Lloyd. Lloyd is a family man, but has an estranged relationship with his father, who he actually hates. Lloyd is played by Matthew Rhys and he is so believable in this role. You can tell he wants to be a good husband and father, but he still has this anger towards his own father and that kind of makes him the cynical writer he is today.
Meeting Fred Rogers
Lloyd is given an assignment. Lloyd is asked to interview and write an article about legendary TV star, Fred Rogers. Played by Tom Hanks, Fred Rogers is awesome and I so wish that I grew up watching his show. I honestly do not think there is a single role you could ask Tom Hanks to play that he would not nail.
A Transformative Journey
Anyway, Lloyd reluctantly agrees to take the job with the intent of exposing Fred as there is no way that he feels he can be this charming and nice guy that everyone says he is. I have to say at this point I did kind of think that Lloyd was being a bit of an asshole, but I did kind of see where he was coming from at the same time.
Lessons from Fred
Fred takes an instant interest in Lloyd and while Lloyd is interviewing him, Fred manages to get Lloyd to open up to him and he almost becomes like a therapist for Lloyd. He manages to get Lloyd to face his father, and his own issues and try to see that holding on to anger and not being willing to forgive will harm him and those that he loves.
Personal Impact and Reflection
It is such a great message and to be honest with you, one that I took personally. Not many movies have a deep and personal effect on me like this one did. It really did tug in the heartstrings and make me think about life after! I love movies and it still amazes me that all these years later they can have this kind of effect on me.
An Unmissable Masterpiece
I am so mad at myself for not making an effort to see this in the theatre. I did watch it via streaming, but I loved it so much that as soon as it finished, I jumped on Amazon and ordered the 4K as this truly is a masterpiece 10/10 movie for me. On a selfish (kind of against what Mister Rogers teaches!) note, I must admit I did hope that the interest in this movie and the fact that it is in The Burbs would lead to a 4K release of The Burbs which sadly has not happened as of me writing this!
