A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

— This is a perfectly lovely film, but disappointing too since it wasn’t exactly about Mr. Rogers. Don’t get me wrong, Tom Hanks is wonderful as Fred Rogers and both on-air and off-air moments featuring him are a joy, but the main character is really Lloyd Vogel, a writer for “Esquire” whose interviews with Mr. Rogers bring to the surface long-smoldering feelings for his father, and a friendship evolves as Vogel comes to terms with his feelings, learns to forgive, and to move forward. It’s a fine story and worth seeing but, if you really want to experience the man whose kindness and love changed a generation, find a way to see “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” Morgan Neville’s wonderful 2018 documentary that reminds us how important honesty, civility, and gentleness can be.

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[2019. 108 min. Directed by Marielle Heller. Starring Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper, and Susan Kelechi Watson.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood-movie-review-2019