A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

          Yes, Tom Hanks plays Mr. Rogers but no, he is not the focal point of this new drama. The film is based on an Esquire Magazine article by Tom Junod, who in the film is fictionalized as Lloyd Vogel, and played by Matthew Rhys. The film is really about Lloyd and how meeting and interviewing Mr. Rogers changed his own life.

            The film recreates the world of Mr. Rogers immaculately and Mr. Hanks is absolute perfection as Fred Rogers but it's Matthew Rhys who is the emotional center of the film as Lloyd, a husband and new father with serious father issues of his own. Lloyd's father Jerry is played by Chris Cooper and there is a deep chasm of resentment and anger inside Lloyd for actions his father took years earlier. 

            Susan Kelichi Watson (Beth on "This is Us") co-stars as Lloyd's wife Andrea who is a very capable actress but basically plays "Beth", the supportive and wise wife who takes a temporary backseat to the friendship that develops between Lloyd and Mr. Rogers. 

                  Mr. Rhys is terrific as Lloyd. He carries the weight of years of emotional baggage and his world is turned upside down by the love, support, and philosophy of Mr. Rogers. Mr. Hanks is just amazing, capturing every nuance of Fred Rogers. The emotions that surface throughout the film are very powerful. There is one scene in particular, when Mr. Rogers asks Lloyd to do a one minute exercise and then looks directly at the camera as if asking the film audience to do the same. I truly believe the entire theater responded in kind.  This is a film about forgiveness, acceptance, and understanding. It is not a profile.

                   Fred Rogers was a force of nature. His ability to relate to children and even adults was uncanny. If you want to learn more about him, I recommend the excellent documentary, "Will You Be  My Neighbor".