DIRECTOR: Marielle Heller
PRODUCERS: Youree Henley &Leah Holzer & Marc Turtletaub
WRITER: Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster
ACTORS: Tom Hanks Matthew Rhys Susan Kelechi-Watson and Chris Cooper
"It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood. A beautiful day for a neighbor Would you be mine? Could you be mine? It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood. A neighborly day for a beauty. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?"
Once upon a time, there were shows like Sesame Street, The Magic School Bus & Reading Rainbow. But then there was also this show which covered a lot of different topics week after week, but the one thing that didn't change was the man himself: Fred Rogers. I grew up watching "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and it was by far one of the most memorable shows I've ever watched. This was a show that everyone could both enjoy and learn something from, and Mister Rogers had a kind, loving heart and a great compassion for other far beyond explanation. This Film had touched me so much... that it made me think about what it meant to be cared for.
The film tells the story of a friendship between America's favorite neighbor and a journalist who gets more than he bargained for when he's assigned to do an expose' on Rogers. It's been said beofre in another film: "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get". That was quoted from one of my favorite films everby one of my favorite actors ever and in a way this film is living proof of that. Tom Hanks really shines as the legendary Fred Rogers himself. So much in fact that you think you're looking at Rogers dead on and in the flesh!Just to hear that warm-hearted opening song we all know and love is so majestic! Then there's Matthew Rhys who plays the writer and you really feel for him in his struggle and pain as he deals with past hurts, brokenness and conflicted emotions all the while studying out Rogers who helps him in a way no one else can.
"Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." - PROVERBS 17:9 NIV
They're were two tings that I saw being depicted in this film: Love and Forgiveness. It's been said in the Bible that if you forgive others for their trespasses, God will forgive you of your own (MATTHEW 6:14). It takes someone as gentle and fearless as Rogers to turn a broken man's life around and throughout the relationship between them, it goes to show what one person can do to change the other's perspective. Very few scenes in the filmI'll never forget: An altercation between two men while at a wedding and the father suffering a severe heart attack following an extremely ugly argument which lands him in the hospital and the effects it begins to have on his estranged son (Rhys' character), including the final farewell to the father who later dies, but not before he and his son make amends. Growing up, I had a average relationship with my own father but unlike the father character in this film, he was always there for me and my brother. One thing he always taught me was to believe in God and all he does and provide for us. As a Christian myself, I still hold true to those principles. The thing I remember most is when the film ended I immediately called my father to tell him I loved him (although I missed the opportunity when we talked, I later sent him that message via text and believe in my heart he loved it). Everywhere the the film took place, the locations where displayed with models and designs used for the show itself and that was just spectacular to me! Only to get a glimpse of them being worked in the end
In Conclusion,this was a very touching and heartwarming film, perhaps the best of the two I've seen so far this year. The world has lost so much of it's innocence that it's even lost it's way. Fred Rogers was one inspiring figure who put so many people and their needs before himself and his own and there hasn't been another man like him since his passing in 2003. If anyone remembers "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" give this a try, it'll surprise the heck out of you, maybe even inspire you to do something good as it did for me (MATTHEW 7:12). I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT! Especially to those who like Rogers or Hanks themselves, you won't have it any other way.
*NOTE* Also be sure to watch the 2018 documentary "WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?" VERY EXCELLENT!!!!
RATING: 5 out of 5