“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor. Could you be mine? Would you be mine?” We all know Mister Rogers Neighborhood, the beloved children’s television program that began in the late 1960’s. Fred Rogers always found a way to make people smile, no matter the situation.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was released on November 22nd, 2019. Being a fan of the show, I was skeptical about watching it at first. I wasn’t sure how Tom Hanks would portray Mister Rogers, however, I was very pleasantly surprised.

Let me tell you, that if you want to see the movie, you need to prepare yourself. This movie is unsettling in every way you could possibly imagine. The movie goes in depth about Rogers, his personality, and why he was always so happy.

It’s not a boring documentary about his life, it would fall more into the category of a drama thriller set in the 1990’s. The movie begins with Mister Rogers, Tom Hanks, going into the classic house in Pittsburgh. No detail was left unnoticed as we see him put on his red cardigan while singing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”.

Then, we are introduced to his new friend, Lloyd Vogel, played by Matthew Rhys. Vogel is an Esquire Magazine journalist tasked to interview Rogers for an “American Heroes” article. Being that Vogel is a narcissist who lost his mother at a young age, he isn’t a stellar person. However, Rogers sees this and aims to help as much as he can.

Throughout the movie, Vogel undergoes challenges and develops a friendship with Rogers. It takes a moment for Vogel to realize that he does need help and that Rogers is trying to give it to him. From the moment Vogel makes the realization, you can see where the movie is headed. Vogel is a wounded, hurt soul, who needs to find his healer.

I’m obviously not going to spoil the whole movie for you, you’ll have to watch it yourself. If you watched Mister Rogers as a kid like I did, you’ll be surprised, but enjoy the movie at the same time. So, be a neighbor and watch it, won’t you?