Overview
Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) is tasked with creating a profile of Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks), the creator and star of the successful children's program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He dutifully goes to the studio where his subject is filming his show, and soon enough, he is sitting down with him, asking him probing questions. However, Fred seems to have a different plan in mind. The interviewee suddenly becomes the interviewer, and he starts to help the writer sent for him in unexpected ways. The film, which is based on the 1988 Esquire cover story by Tom Junod, is directed by Marielle Heller.
Awards:
Main Cast & Crew:
Marielle Heller - Director
Tom Hanks
Matthew Rhys
Enrico Colantoni
Chris Cooper
Wendy Makkena
Tammy Blanchard
Susan Kelechi Watson
Maddie Corman
Sakina Jaffrey
Kitty Crystal
Details
- Format: DVD
- Run Time: 108
- Color Format: Color
- UPC: 043396549159
- Genre: Drama
- Rating: PG (MPAA) (some strong thematic material, a brief fight, and some mild language)
- Release Date: February 2020
Movie Reviews
Reviews:
"Hanks isn’t just good -- he’s transporting. He takes on Mister Rogers’ legendary mannerisms and owns them, using them as a conduit to Rogers’ disarming inner spirit." - 09/07/2019 Variety
"There’s no question that Hanks is perfect in the part, as the actor’s amiability and unquestionable sincerity make for an ideal match with the unique television personality." - 09/07/2019 Hollywood Reporter
"Hanks plays Fred as he lays: a sort of secular Buddha in a red knit cardigan whose gently probing questions and Zen proclamations work as a slow dissolving agent on Lloyd’s resistance." - 09/08/2019 Entertainment Weekly
4 stars out of 5 -- "Rogers always respected his audience, no matter the age, and Heller follows suit, avoiding the sugary overkill so many other directors would have embraced." - 09/08/2019 The Guardian
4 stars out of 5 -- " Hanks, who captures the man’s precise diction and soothing intonation, quickly moves past imitation to find the nurturing soul that Mister Rogers opens to the world; not just to children, but to skeptics like Lloyd." - 11/19/2019 Rolling Stone
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "It’s a dream match of two well-known and well-liked personas, one kind actor portraying one of the kindest humans ever to work in entertainment. Hanks’ energy in the role wonderfully gets at what A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD wants to convey." - 11/22/2019 RogerEbert.com
"[T]he film plays like a celebration of Rogers’ kindness as a balm for an unkind age..." - 11/21/2019 A.V. Club
"A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD celebrates the virtues of patient listening, gentleness and the honest expression of feelings." - 11/21/2019 New York Times
"Tom Hanks brings quiet authority to his role as an American icon who isn’t portrayed as a monument, but as a man whose deep faith and a gift for ministry change the life of a cynical journalist..." - 12/09/2019 Washington Post
4 stars out of 5 -- "Tom Hanks, all bushy eyebrows and comfy cardies, nails not only the warmth but also Rogers’ underlying intelligence." - 01/27/2020 Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "[F]or those seeking comfort, kindness and a sense of cherishing in a turbulent world that seems to reward cruelty over caring, A BEAUTIFUL DAY will be cinematic balm." - 01/31/2020 Total Film
"Marielle Heller’s subtly directed drama casts an excellent Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers and Matthew Rhys as a cynical journalist who is transformed by their encounter." - 04/07/2020 Los Angeles Times
