I watched this movie a couple months ago, but I've started thinking about it as of late. So I thought I would write a couple of things about it. This is an objectively good movie. I can tell there was a lot of effort put into it, which is great considering its a nice remembrance of Mr. Rogers.
I'm just gonna explain the background info I had before watching the movie. I was never an avid watcher of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood when I was a kid. I was just not into it since, y'know, I could be watching something more awesome, like "The Suite Life on Deck". I did know he was a cult figure for kids born in the 70s/80s. I actually watched a documentary about him like 2 years ago with my mom. I forget what it was called, but it made me cry. It explained a lot about his life, his goal in life, and his unforgettable way of talking. I really liked it. I usually like documentaries (sue me) about the things I'm passionate about. But I didn't know this guy. He was just some TV personality who made a lotta kids happy back in the "old days". I never watched him. Why should I care? This is the mentality that I adopted when watching that documentary 2 years ago. I argued with my mom about seeing it. I thought I could find a better way to use my time. That same mentality is what the main character in "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" adopted. He never cared for this guy. He never watched his show when he was a kid. But this begs the question. Why does everybody care for this guy?
The main plot of this movie is very well written, especially since its a "based on a true story" plot. It follows this journalist, Lloyd Vogel, and his quest to interview Fred Rogers, a TV personality who Lloyd's boss is putting on an article about "heroes". Long story short, they become friends in an unorthodox way and Lloyd makes an insanely successful article about his time with Rogers. Lloyd becomes fascinated with Rogers after their first encounter. He can't believe this old guy can live happy, with no questions, problems, or ager towards anything or anybody. Lloyd is a very relatable character (for me, anyways). His grim outlook on life is very similar to mine: aimlessly wandering around trying to find a passion other than his writing. There is no main antagonist in this movie. Lloyd's father is the closest thing to one though. In the beginning of the movie, Lloyd is attending his sister's wedding and is shown dreading it, seemingly because of his father, who he hasn't seen in years. He goes to the wedding and tries to avoid his father. He actually ends up arguing and physically fighting his father. Lloyd's wife starts questioning Lloyd (rightfully so, I would start questioning somebody if they punched their dad). I really like how this is the opening scene. Yeah sure its a biography, but the choice to add drama really adds to the charm of the movie. The movie starts switching between Lloyd's interviews with Rogers and his home life, which is being ruined by his father. The climax is amazing in my eyes, since it shows Lloyd in the hospital visiting his ailing father, but at the same time he is trying to leave to go see Rogers. His wife confronts him, telling him he can't keep leaving her and their kid to go do "work". Lloyd actually chooses to go see Rogers. I like how they show throughout the movie that Lloyd is slowly trying to better himself and his relationship with his wife and newborn kid after seeing Rogers. It's like Rogers is his therapist friend who helps him. Lloyd acknowledges that Rogers has helped him become an ultimately better person, so he chooses to leave his wife and kid at the hospital while he goes to see Rogers. It's that "I-have-to-do-this-so-I-will-be-better, be-right-back" cliché. He approaches his wife, who has done nothing but help him throughout this whole movie, about his feelings towards raising their kid, he relationship with Rogers, and his plan to be a better husband and father, all while crying. Lloyd crying is a sign of how much he has changed since the beginning of the movie, when he didn't really care about anything and was just going on about his monotonous day. At the end of the movie, there's this amazing scene with Lloyd and his wife, Lloyd's sister and her husband, Lloyd's dad and his girlfriend, and Rogers, who somehow found Lloyd's dad's address and visits the family. Lloyd finally makes peace with his father, who was cheating on and abandoned his mother when she was dying. Rogers celebrates with the extended family and whispers to Lloyd dad that he will pray for him. Shortly after, we see the funeral scene and Lloyd's article about Rogers makes the front page of Esquire magazine. Lloyd tells his wife he can take some time off work to take care of their kid so that his wife can go back to work. I really like how the movie is shot like an actual Mr. Rogers episode. The movie ends with Rogers telling his goodbye monologue, just like in the show, and he starts playing the piano on set. That's it.
I really, REALLY appreciate how they didn't show Mr. Rogers death or news surrounding his death. The documentary I watched did that and that's the part that made me cry. The only two movies I've cried to were Forrest Gump and that documentary (and maybe Wall-E, I can't remember). I feel like the character Mr. Rogers ending a movie about him like his show is very fitting and emotionally "right". It would totally be in his character to do that. It seems believable. All things considered, this was a great and timely movie. In these bleak times, it's nice to see a person with the same grim mindset as us be redeemed and find happiness. It's motivating, to say the least. I think that's what the movie was going for. To be a happy, nostalgic, and motivating movie. Just like what Mr. Rogers represented for a lot of people.
P.S. I know this is a sappy post, so I'm gonna ruin it and say that I thought that the actor who played Lloyd, Matthew Rhys, looked like discount cheapskate Adam Scott. I know, I've ruined all the happy feelings from this post now.
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