Film Review: "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" (2019).

"Neighbor. Icon. Friend. An American icon and the story of kindness we need right now." This is A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood. This drama film directed by Marielle Heller, written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, and inspired by the 1998 Esquire article Can You Say ... Hero? by Tom Junod. The film centres on Lloyd Vogel, an investigative journalist who receives an assignment to profile Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers. He approaches the interview with skepticism, as he finds it hard to believe that anyone can have such a good nature. But Roger's empathy, kindness and decency soon chips away at Vogel's jaded outlook on life, forcing the reporter to reconcile with his own painful past.

Fitzerman-Blue and Harpster's script, based on a 1998 Esquire magazine article about television personality Fred Rogers, was featured among the 2013 Black List of best unproduced screenplays. By early September 2018, Tom Hanks was cast as Mr. Rogers, with Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Cooper, Maryann Plunkett, Enrico Colantoni, Wendy Makkena, and Christine Lahti rounding out the cast for the film with Heller as director. At the same time, with a budget of $45 million, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in early November. Filming took place in Pittsburgh at the Fred Rogers Studio at WQED (TV) where the late television host recorded Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The crew consulted with original crew members from Rogers' television series and also brought in the same broadcast cameras and monitors used in the original production. The production received tax credits of approximately $9.5 million. In late December, it was announced the film had been officially titled A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. The film was originally going to be released on October 18, 2019, but in May 2018 was pushed back to November 22, 2019.

The film stars Hanks, Rhys, Watson, Cooper, Plunkett, Colantoni, Makkena, and Lahti. Terrific performances were given by the cast, especially from the always reliable Mr. Hanks. It takes an actor as delightful as Hanks to make his portrayal of the iconic children show host not just charming, but downright lovable as well. Hanks elevates the material at every opportunity. We must give Hanks well-deserved praise for taking on a role so typical for him yet so different than anything he's done.

Deftly directed and laced equally with drama and humour, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood proves a compelling showcase for deeply affecting work from Tom Hanks. Every beat of the film is just so, its portraiture as rich as the characters themselves are barely solvent. The screenplay by Fitzerman-Blue and Harpster is well structured, witty and poignant. It is one of those films that's so good that you almost miss it the first time. This film is a 'portrait of an American icon' in its honest form. It is an interesting character study, and also one of the most sweetest too. It is a terrific film, with a lot to say about kindness and forgiveness.

Simon says A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood receives:

Also, see my review for Can You Ever Forgive Me?