On Nov. 22 “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” was released in the United States. The movie is a modern adaptation of the Mr. Roger’s children show that ran for 33 years. The movie is based on true events of the well-known article “Can You Say…Hero” in Esquire Magazine, published in November 1998. The movie has themes of self-discovery, kindness overcoming cynicism, forgiveness and growth of relationships.
The movie scored a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and had an overall 91% positive rating according to audiences.
In this movie, award winning actor Tom Hanks steps into the shoes of the famous Mr. Rogers. Hanks was accompanied by commonly known characters in Mr. Rogers’s stories, such as Daniel Tiger, Lady Aberlin, King Friday XII, Mr. McFeely etc. This modern adaptation includes other original aspects such as the theme song “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” as well as Mr. Roger’s iconic red cardigan and the house in the neighborhood.
Directed by Marielle Heller, the movie is based on the true story of the friendship between journalist Tom Junod, played by Matthew Rhys, and Fred Rogers. Rhys is a journalist known for reporting people in a negative light and for writing “hard hitting journalism.” His boss assigns him a feature piece about “real life heroes” and is tasked with interviewing and reporting on Rogers.
Since the original Mr. Rogers show concluded in 2001, Generation Z does not remember Fred Rogers as those from earlier generations do. In an article from the LA Times, Mary Mcnamara, a culture columnist and critic, claims that “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” was a good movie but missed the point of Mr. Rogers.
Mcnamara discusses how difficult it was to explain the entire essence that was Fred Rogers and describe how impactful he was, especially through television. “Because Junod had experienced Mister Rogers only as an adult, it also struggled with capturing what made Mister Rogers special, relying on highly emotional interactions with specific children, some of whom are depicted in the film, and with Rogers’ impact on Junod himself, as an adult,” Mcnamara said.
To learn more about Mcnamara’s critiques on the film, her article is linked here.
Sophomore Rachel Dyer is an English major working on earning a secondary education licensure who saw the film. “The movie was really impactful and nostalgic for my parents,” Dyer said. “It was cool to enjoy this movie with my parents and learn about the history of Mr. Rogers.”
Headline photo: Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Photo via Tencent Pictures/TriStar Pictures.