A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood is a nod to Fred Rogers‘ extensive career and life spent on set for Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. America’s favorite and most classic television show was introduced to families around the country in 1968 and went on to air a total of 31 seasons. The show ended in 2001, but that certainly does not mean it has been forgotten. Today, the show is commemorated in Sony Pictures’ latest project. Tom Hanks, 63, takes on the lead role and portrays Rogers in a colorful, nostalgic remake of the family-friendly series. The rest of the cast includes Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson and Chris Cooper.

The movie was released on November 22. Thus far, it has scored 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD’ REVIEW ROUNDUP

“Hanks’s performance is entirely of a piece with those insightful, imaginative flourishes. If most viewers consider it a no-brainer that Hollywood’s nicest actor — for whom honesty, wholesomeness and kindness is a personal brand — would play Rogers, they’d be mistaken to think his performance is technically easy. Rather than imitate his character’s soft, singsong cadences, Hanks simply slows down his own genial and measured voice.”

–Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post

 

“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. He makes you believe in this too-nice-for-words man who is all about believing.”

-Owen Gleiberman, Variety

 

“Hanks performs this with faultless technique, but you never lose sight of the performance. Rogers demurs when Lloyd describes him as a “celebrity,” but this film, in spite of its skill and sincerity, can’t find anything else for him to be. He seems larger than life, an idol if not a saint. All he wanted was to be your neighbor.”

-A.O. Scott, The New York Times 

“There is a sense of whimsy throughout, which includes framing the movie like an episode of Rogers TV show, every detail of which is replicated in meticulous detail.”

-Brian Lowry, CNN

“Operating with a shrewd mix of imitation and interpretation, Hanks deepens Fred Rogers from a man-child with a prankish sense of humor into a healer whose struggles with his own demons (as an overweight child he was bullied and called “Fat Freddie”) have led him to empathize with, as Lloyd puts it, “broken people like me.” Hanks’s sincere performance argues for a heartening lack of space between Rogers’ public and private personas, between himself and his puppets.”

-Ella Taylor, NPR

 

Watch the ‘A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood’  official trailer below.

 

 

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Article by Ashley Johnson

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