Movie Report Card: A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Date: 11/22/19
Title: A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
Director: Marielle Heller
Starring: Matthew Rhys, Tom Hanks. Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Cooper, Christine Lahti

GRADES

ACTING: 95
DIRECTING: 90
SCREENPLAY: 85
EDITING: 85
CINEMATOGRAPHY: 90
SOUNDTRACK: 90

FINAL: 89/B+

COMMENTS

As the Mister Rogers revival tour continues, it's clear that we as a species may not have deserved him. And I don't think we deserve Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers either. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood frames a redemption story, around the show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, along with the titular character. While the framing is a bit unconventional, this is 100% sold on Tom Hanks' performance as Fred Rogers. Sure, Hanks may not totally look like Mister Rogers, but his performance melts it all into one big package. Hanks is pitch perfect here. He's mesmerizing on screen, and he embodies the soft, kindness that Mister Rogers brought to millions of people around the world. I have no doubt, that Hanks, will be nominated for an Oscar here. While a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a good film, there are some things that don't quite always equal 100. For starters, the character of Lloyd, is really unlikable. While I get that is pretty much the point, I think they went a tad too far depicting that here. Ultimately, it all works out in the end, but sometimes it is hard for us to root for Lloyd. This whole thing is told from his point of view, so at times it can be a challenge. However, as the film progresses, we do end up in Lloyd's corner, so all is not lost. Matthew Rhys, is solid as the character, so that helps a lot. The entire cast is great here. This is a crowd pleasing film. Its heart is in the right place, even though some of the gears may be a bit rusty. There's a lot of stuff to like, and Tom Hanks, is just too good to ignore.