Review: A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

I've been unsure about how this one would perform in terms of box office. This is due to the fact that the Fred Rogers was never really shown in the UK.

While I do know enough about Mr. Rodgers through clips thrown into films such as Home Alone, I didn't think this film would get enough of the appeal it deserves.
Thankfully, a documentary that came out in 2018 called 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' and the perfect casting of Tom Hanks could be enough for people not aware of Mr. Rodgers to check it out.

It was interesting to see that the film was not really about Mr. Rodgers in the end. It instead had Mr. Rodgers being either a supporting character, or background noise.
After that realisation, my adjusted approach to the film saw a much different story then I expected. The story in the end does have an 'Oscar bait' feel about it despite being based on a true story. But there were certain aspects that I noticed that made it feel more than that.

One major reason is that of Tom Hanks, who did a great job as Fred Rodgers. He really captured the spectacle and presence that the man himself had whenever people saw him. I honestly could not think of anyone else that could have played this role.

Also, some of the production design paid great homage to the actual TV show which was great to see. You can see the hard work that was put into that particular aspect, and that is what made it feel like a Mr. Rodgers story in a way I was not expecting.
That tone also contained parts that felt alienating to me and did not quite fully work in my view.

So despite not being what I expected, I still rather enjoyed this. I thought it was an enjoyable comedy drama that still managed to capture the vibe or Mr. Rodgers and his show.
While the tone and structure felt odd in its execution at times, I still felt uplifted and as converted as the main character. Without Hanks, I think this could have been a huge letdown. I'm sure an American audience would eat this up. So it would be interesting to see how the Brits react to this particular feature.
If this doesn't work for you in the end. Then maybe, the aforementioned documentary might work instead as that was more about Mr. Rodgers himself.

Rating: 7/10